Little Rose
by Jahaira
Summary: As the years passed by, this downward spiral sent the young princess deeper and deeper within herself. She became more of a phantom than a little girl. But everyday held a new opportunity. And for the young princess, a new life would present itself at the age of ten and during one of the worst snowstorms she had ever seen. BatB AU!
1. Prologue

**I'm back! …Sort of. **

**To be honest, this little idea was more of a flash-inspiration after watching one of my childhood movies. Can anyone guess which one it is? **

**Anyway, no matter what I did, it just begged me to be written. **

**So, just as I am starting another stress-inducing, hair-pulling semester at my lovely school, I'm going to start another story. And I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do with it. Hazzah!**

**So without further ado, Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own anything.**

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Chapter 1- Prologue

Once upon a time, in a faraway land of towering mountains and frigid waters… There lived a young princess within a shining castle. She had everything that she could ever want in her youthful life…

…well, except compassionate parents.

While the young princess was kind-hearted, intelligent, and caring, her parents were shrewd and calculatingly cruel to not only their servants, but also to their only daughter.

In her quest for her parents' ever-evasive approval, the princess did everything within her power to be the perfect daughter to them. Her poise and mannerisms were practiced to perfection while her bright mind allowed her to be able to grasp quite advanced concepts within her studies.

Never disobedient, crude, or defiant, she was the representation of a perfect princess. All of the castle servants and visiting dignitaries had the same thoughts of admiration and pride at the young girl.

But the two people that were most important to the young princess did not think so.

The King and Queen always wanted more and more and more.

Every attempt by the young princess was shot down in one fashion or another. The complaints were very repetitive; either being not enough or able to do more. The princess's quest for recognition began to wear down her spirit as she descended into depression and isolation.

Always in her darkest times, the young princess retreated to her books. The royal library housed thousands upon thousands within its walls. The young princess would be lost in the tales of talking animals, treasure-guarding dragons, and wicked witches. Hours were spent in another world, one where she was free to fly among the magic and laugh with the mischief-makers living within those words.

Even in her retreat, she was never truly alone.

The castle servants loved the young princess and felt her pain. It burned the men and women who worked within the stone walls to see such a beautiful soul be so reserved. They knew that the youth was different from her parentage in all the better ways.

So, for years, they fought a silent battle to preserve the kind girl surrounded by such harsh reality. Secret notes, hidden gifts, and special treats were all they could accomplish in their defense of the princess.

To the princess, those little trinkets were so much more.

The notes were healing balms of encouragement, patching up the daily wounds. Gifts of games and small baubles came from the younger servants of the castle. Whenever their schedules permitted, a game would be opened and clinking checker pieces could be heard from the princess's room. Exotic treats of chocolate were always rare, but it was beloved the most as eating the special delicacy would bring warmth into the youth's heart.

Even with the castle servants' generous warmth, the young princess believed she was alone.

Everyone in the stone walls was someone's anchor; a sanctuary from harsh reality. Drawing silent strength and courage to face another day. The young princess's own anchor laid with the head of the castle servants, a heavyset woman named Gerda. A mother when she had none, the young princess would search for her most frequently whenever her isolation became too much.

But the princess knew that no one looked up to her. No one spoke their secrets to her, nor looked to her for guidance. Being the youngest in the castle and the knowledge of her bloodline had left her pampered and coddled.

Being unable to return such kindness often left her feeling even more useless. Which led to her isolating herself more and more.

As the years passed by, this downward spiral sent the young princess deeper and deeper within herself. She became more of a phantom than a little girl.

Forever silent and elusive unless someone summoned her from the depths of her room or the library.

But everyday held a new opportunity. And for the young princess, a new life would present itself at the age of ten and during one of the worst snowstorms she had ever seen.

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**AN: I know. I know. It's short…but it is the prologue. But I promise to have a longer one ready by next Thursday. I think I'll put this as a bunch of related one-shots since I don't really know what I'm gonna do. I only had a vague vision of what's to come.**

***plays with a bubbling caldron***

_**Double, double toil and trouble…**_

_**Fire burn and caldron bubble…**_

***clears throat awkwardly***

**Anyway, I'll hopefully figure it out soon. Oh, and can anyone guess who the princess is? I hope you guys know, because I don't. XD**

**As always: comments, concerns, and ****informed**** critiques are forever welcomed.**

**So, until next time, Au revoir. **


	2. Knock

**Wow! I actually got this chapter on time. Hurray for imagination!**

**Anyway, I hope you all had a beautiful Valentine's Day with your beloveds or you were like me and slept in the entire day. XD**

**And so, without further ado, Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything.**

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Chapter 2: Knock

"Your highness?"

In one of the antechambers of the royal library, a small figure was draped in candlelight as she sat, concentrated on the words before her. The door to the room was closed to prevent any loss of the precious heat given by the flickering fire and dimming candles. Yet, the voice was heard clearly as an intricate bun of golden-white hair jerked up at the unexpected call.

Glacial blue eyes widened in alarm before calming down again. A small smile bloomed on her lips. She knew this voice.

"I'm in here, Gerda."

A short moment passed before the oak door opened to reveal a heavyset woman in the castle servant's uniform. In the presence of the uniform's freshly pressed cloth, the slight wrinkles on the older woman's forehead stood out all the more. Those wrinkles loosened in relief as the woman locked eyes with her charge.

"Your Highness, why are you holed up in here? It is getting fairly late. You need to get your sleep." The words were spoken in a way to convey concern, but no pity. The warmth that the words provided to the princess's heart made the smile on her face enlarge slightly. She took a quick glance to the old grandfather's clock against the wall of the room, and was shocked at the time displayed.

She should have been in her bed ages ago. Everyone else in the castle must be asleep by now. Gerda must been searching for her for hours.

But she was torn. She was almost finished with the book within her lap, and the best part was approaching. She could ask for more time, right? She only needed a half-hour at most to finish it.

"May I have some more time to finish this story? Please?" Gerda knew that the story must have grasped the young girl's love to have such an influence over her. A glance to the book in question revealed that it was rather small in size and only several pages were left to be read.

"Of course. Would it be fine if I had some hot chocolate brought to you before you turn in for the night?"

"Yes, please," the excited reply was immediate. The maid schooled her expression into a humble grin to hide the cheerful smile that wanted to break through. It was moments like these that proved to herself and the rest of the staff that the little girl before her was worth protecting.

The older woman nodded as she took her leave and closed the door to the antechamber behind her.

With the prospect of a warm bed and a warmer drink awaiting her, the young princess could not keep the smile from her face as she returned to the book. If she sped up slightly, she might finish even before the half-hour mark she had previously set for herself. So, she continued reading the journey of the warrior king who was about to face treasure-hoarding dragon.

Her concentration was infallible as she read through the pages. Not even the frigid winds rattling the nearby window could have broken her concentration. Surrounded by books, warmth, and promises, the princess was content as she has ever been.

That contentment turned into confusion at the echo of a sound.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

What? Was she imagining that? It couldn't be… That couldn't be knocking. No during this time of the night. But the young girl's confusion cleared at the repetition of the sound.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Forgotten in her shock, the book in her hands dropped to the floor with a dull thump. Someone was here! Someone was outside at this time of night? In this type of weather?! A look to the frost-covered window only served to raise her alarm further at the darkness streaked with fast-falling snow.

She rose to her feet and left the antechamber. The book was left on the floor, forgotten.

Her clothed feet were quick and quiet as she walked to the front doors. Her breaths billowed out from her nose like smoke as she wrapped her dressing gown tighter around herself. No one was expected to arrive. No one should be here, especially during this late time of night.

Either way, the massive doors were stationed relatively close to the library. It took her no time at all to reach the front door and realize that she was not the only one to hear the knocking.

"You have no place here, crone! Leave!"

"Oh, please, sir. Only for one-" The quiet, broken voice was overpowered by booms and shouts of rage.

"Are you deaf or stupid? I said, leave!"

The scene presented to the princess was quite a sight. One of the massive doors was open to allow frigid air and stray snowflakes to swirl within the hall. Two knights stood with their backs towards her, their tall frames blocking her sight of the newcomer as one of them shouted to whomever was at the entrance.

Before she could think much about the situation, the yelling knight unsheathed his blade and pointed it to the person at the door. Within an instance, the princess's timid stance changed into one of authority as her eyes hardened into chips of ice. With a steady voice, she commanded.

"That is enough."

Neither yelling nor screeching out the words, they resonated with an unyielding strength that captured the attention of all before her. Both knights turned to the princess at her approach. She had practiced the posture of the nobility to perfection; back straight, eyes forward, a stoic face, and still hands.

The aura surrounding her presence left the two knights slightly stunned before saluting the young princess.

"Your Highness, forgive us for this disturbance. It is being handled accordingly." It took the young princess a moment before recognizing the two knights; Sir Sven and Sir Kristoff of Crystal Bay. Though, they were cousins of one another, they were near opposite. Specifically, the shouter was Kristoff while Sven was the silent pacifist.

"Move aside." Again, with the voice that held no doubt, she commanded. With the men hesitating too long, she brushed pass them and looked towards the figure just beyond the archway.

Bitter cold wind swirled the falling snow around a trembling bundle of rags. At least, that's what they appeared to be. But the firelight from the castle revealed a haggard, old face peaking from the dark cloth wrapped around it.

"Please…" The word and the femininity of the tone were so faint that they were nearly lost in the wind. The princess had not noticed how close she was to the beggar woman until she spoke. She also had not noticed how bitterly cold she became. A few seconds on the threshold of the door sent her shivering. _The poor woman must be half-frozen._

She reached out her hands and grasped the old woman by the shoulders, nearly dragging her inside.

"Shut the doors," she spoke over her shoulder, distracted. She gaze was locked on the old woman as her shaking did not slow.

"Your highness, I must-"

"I said, 'shut the doors'." This time, the words had an edge; daring the men to disobey her. And coming from such a young girl, that edge was even more pronounced. It was enough to travel through the hard-headed knight and have him do what he was commanded.

"Sir Sven, I need you to wake up the medic. Tell him to prepare for a visitor arriving very cold and weak," she said. A bow to her direction was the reply she received as he hurried down the hall.

"Sir Kristoff, I require your cloak." For a moment, the knight looked confused at the request before unclipping and giving the girl the woolen cloak. In a flourish, the cloak was draped over the cold woman's shoulders as the girl led her deeper into the castle.

The young girl followed the same path that Sir Sven had passed, but refused to leave the old woman's side. Though, she did not show it, she was terrified. The old woman was dangerously thin, leaning heavily onto the princess, and had not stopped shaking. Her breath was ragged and strained with the cold as she whispered something.

Leaning forward, she caught the faint gratitude and thanks that refused to stop from spilling from the old woman's lips. The girl's heart clenched with sadness. She shushed the cold and shaking woman.

"Please, save your strength. You'll be warm soon."

They were approaching the medic's room as the woman's voice said something different.

"What is your name?"

A shudder went through the young girl as she stopped walking. The shaking stopped.

Even though the old woman was still whispering, the words echoed with something. Something that should not be in the half-frozen woman. The question held a weight that the young girl could not fathom. The same power in those whispered words were echoed in the eyes that suddenly looked up to lock gazes.

"I… I am Elsa."

In a moment, the power seeped away from those piercing eyes. She slumped over as the shivers returned in force. The answer made the woman's whispering go silent, yet the cracked lips didn't stop their movement.

Right then, the doors to the medic's room was opened in a blaze of light with someone stepping through. Sir Sven nearly barreled over the two in his rush. With a distracted command, Sir Sven helped Princess Elsa lead the old woman into the warm room.

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**AN. Yep, the princess is Elsa. How many of you guessed right? And how is Anna gonna come into this mess? Well… all I can say is that she'll be here soon.**

**And I know; the chapter is still shorter than what I usually do. But I want to see how this will work. This is somewhat shorter, yet I can get these out weekly instead of biweekly. So, I guess that I'll be seeing you all next Thursday.**

**As always: comments, concerns, and ****informed**** critiques are forever welcomed.**

**So, until next time, Au revoir. **


	3. Selfishness

**Welcome again, ladies and gentlemen.**

**Another week means another chapter. And this is when the axe comes down on a few of our favorite characters. You'll see what I mean. *smiles evilly* **

**And without further ado, Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing, though I enjoy putting the pieces together.**

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Chapter 3: Selfishness

The warm room was a haven from the chilly halls.

The crackle of the fire was in the background, providing a comforting hymn. The smell of charcoal and herbs hung in the air and filled the princess's nostrils. Elsa stood near the doorway, watching as the physician finished assisting the near-frozen old woman.

As the group walked into the room, Anton, the royal physician, had placed a padded chair close to the lit hearth and led the woman to it. Meanwhile, Elsa had thanked Sir Sven for his assistance and had him returned to his post. Now, Elsa shifted from one foot to another as the medic encouraged the old woman to drink a healing tonic.

And old she was. Due to the freezing gale, whatever clothing the woman had was clutched to her frame. Now in a warmer room, the cloth wrapped around her face and neck slowly loosened. Wispy white hair was corralled into a messy bun that allowed her withered features to be seen. A willowy pair of hands clutched at the small cup as the liquid passed through chapped lips.

Elsa could not stop staring at her. It seemed completely surreal. Was this woman truly saved by her? Where was the silent girl who watched the cruel world pass by behind the shields of others? Did she really snap at a knight of Arendelle?

She nervously wrung her hands together as her eyes remained fixed on the scene. The medic helped in wrapping Sir Kristoff's cloak tighter around the frail woman before walking towards Elsa.

"Your Highness," he whispered. She jumped, startled out of her thoughts. "Would you like an escort to your room? It is rather late in the night." In any other moment, the warm concern in his voice would have touched her tender heart. But this was not one of those times. She barely gave those words a thought before ignoring them.

"How is she?"

"…She is suffering from malnutrition, a lower body temperature, and some cracked skin from the cold. Besides that, I'm uncertain about her recovery, Your Highness."

"Would it be wise to get her some warm food? Perhaps a broth?"

"Yes, though I'm a bit fearful in waking up our chef." He chuckled without mirth. "Louis does need his beauty sleep." Elsa's eyes narrowed. She looked at the medic with renewed eyes. She saw an exhausted man still in his sleeping attire that was barely clothed by a blue robe.

It was true; nobody was awake at this hour, and it would take far too long to make anything. But a glance at the woman betrayed the trembling of stiff joints. She needed warmth that was faster than the roaring fire. Yet…

The creak of the opening door was unheard to the young princess.

But her thoughts drifted away as Elsa registered a hesitant touch that sent her eyes flashing upwards. She nearly wept in relief at seeing the woman before her. Gerda's hands rested on her small shoulders as the older woman's worried voice washed over the young girl. In her exhausted and near-panicked state, Elsa could not pay attention to whatever words Gerda was saying; instead she buried herself into the warm embrace given by the older woman.

She had not noticed how cold she was, how tired she was, or how weak she felt. Not until she was in Gerda's arms. But when she was, she noticed how hard she was shivering and the weight her eyelids had. She even thought that she felt a tear slip down her cheek, though she was not sure as she tucked her head into Gerda's neck.

Words of comfort were murmured into Elsa's ear as she clung to the servant woman. She did not know how long she stayed in Gerda's warm arms until she cracked open her eyes again. Her line of sight was immediately drawn to something just beyond her.

A large cup sat upon a handkerchief at its place on a wooden stool. As steam faintly wisped up and into the air, an unmistakable smell wafts up from the steaming beverage.

_The… hot chocolate…_

She stood, dumbfounded. It was then that she realized how little time had really passed. So much had happened in a few moments. In all honesty, she had completely forgotten about her earlier request. She forgot about the book. The towering bookcases, filled of adventure and protection. The warm fire.

Everything that was before now became so… trivial.

Gerda was trying to catch her attention again. Though she did not want to, she strained to focus on what her dear friend was trying to say.

"…late, Elsa. It's time to go to bed." The young girl was confused. Usually, no one dare to call her without her title. She focused a little more to see Gerda's eyes were edging on panic.

_Oh… I'm not answering. She's worried._

Shaking her head to clear out the fog, she put forth an effort to speaking.

"I'll be fine, Gerda. I'm just very tired," she spoke the half-truth. She was tired, but there was something else. She could not quite point it out. Whatever it was made her sway in Gerda's arms. In reaction, the servant tightened her hold and carefully began to lead her out. But Elsa's eyes were not drawn to the door and its promise to lead her into a warm bed.

She looked at the cup.

Numbly, she stumbled out of Gerda's cocoon of warmth and grabbed the cup between her hands. Though it was no longer steaming, the warmth remained. Fixing her eyes on her destination, she walked towards the fire-side chair and the emaciated woman seated within.

Elsa neither heard Gerda's confused questioning nor the royal medic's explanation. The closer she got to the fire, the rest of the room faded more and more until it became unimportant. The most important thing centered on the fact that she could hear the chattering of broken teeth. The old woman was still shivering.

Using the most delicate of touches, she used one hand to loosen the withered fingers' iron grip onto the cloak. Accomplishing that, she took one of the frail hands and placed it upon the warm cup. She repeated this with the other hand. Letting go, her heart skipped a beat as the drink tilted dangerously.

She placed her own hands on top of the older woman's and spoke gently.

"Here, let me help."

Raising the cup upwards, she answered the question in the eyes of the woman.

"This is a very special drink, so it will make you feel better. It always does for me." With the answer, Elsa helped the woman drink the hot chocolate. With the amount of time it took to cool, the drink was at a perfect temperature; cool enough to not burn and warm enough to soothe.

Little sip after little sip, the drink went down. At times, she would use the handkerchief to wipe at the elder's crack lips before continuing to help her drink.

Two-thirds of the warm chocolate was gone before the elder refused. Elsa pulled away with haste. Did she push too hard? Did the elder even want any of the drink? She began to back away like a criminal with an apology ready at her lips.

At least, until a soft hand stopped her. The blue eyes that looked upon Elsa were kind and grateful. She only watched as the boney hands shrugged off Sir Kristoff's cloak and reached into her own tattered rags. And in her hands was the most beautiful red rose.

Elsa could only stare at the marvel, but she knew it was no ordinary rose. It was too perfect. Its size, its shape, and its petals were all perfect. Even the thorns were perfect as they curled delicately from the stem. The red of the petals contrasted the green stem so beautifully, making all of its details come into focus. It may have been a trick of the light that the drops of melted snow on the flower sparkled, but it dazzled the young princess all the same.

She never knew how long it took for the beggar woman to get her attention, but she did. Looking up, she saw that the old woman was beckoning her forward. Unconsciously doing so, the rose was gently replaced with the cup she had held in her hands.

She was startled out of her trance. She could not take this. The woman barely had anything, and yet gave what little she had.

"Madam, I-I surely-"

"Young Elsa," the woman's voice was smoother and steadier than before, but still a whisper. "I've been out there for days without food or water. Yet, you neither questioned nor doubted me. You gave me so much in so little time."

A pause and a withered hand push the flower back into Elsa's supple fingers.

"Allow me to repay a bit back to you."

She didn't know why a pressure began to build at the back of her eyes. Why did she need to cry? Blinking rapidly, she nodded her head in silence as she tightened her hold on the rose, not caring of the thorns.

The serenity ended with a bang, literally.

BANG!

The door rushed opened and collided with the opposing wall as the King and Queen of Arendelle walked in. Elsa dropped the flower in shock.

"M-mother. Father, I-" Elsa stuttered, her heart clenching in fear.

"What is the meaning of this little meeting?" The cold snide came from her mother, as her cyan eyes examined everything before her.

Elsa didn't reply. She could not. How did they know? Who told them? Better yet, who woke them?

A glance towards the doorway revealed Sir Kristoff standing behind the royal couple. His face was stoic as he turned a blind eye to what was occurring. In her silence, her father answered her mother's question.

"Well, that doesn't truly matter, since this meeting is over with. And a good number of you will be enjoying the blessed weather that the gods have decided to grant us." His threat was dressed in velvet and was clear as the howling winds that sounded through the windows.

The rest of his words were fading in Elsa's ears. It no longer mattered.

Gerda's and Anton's heads were bowed and silent, while Elsa's head was whirling. She knew what they were truly saying. They were going to send Gerda and Anton away. Because the two of them were simply here, they were going to be punished. The snow was too cold. Too strong. It would be days before they would reach the next village. The beggar woman won't be able to make it to see the next dawn.

"You can't!" The silence that followed resembled that to a tomb. Then, the king's voice broke it.

"Excuse me? I believe I did not hear you quite right." The tone was used many times to intimidate foreign dignitaries, yet it did nothing to the young princess. She knew about her parents' cruel game just as well as she knew her own name.

"You can't send them out there. They'll catch their death with cold!" Elsa had to stop them. She just had to.

"Well, we certainly won't be having the strain of burying them. I suppose there is room for them in the stables, at least for the night." Her father's chuckle was sickening. Memories flashed at that laugh. Of how it was used to chasten her of mistakes she had done during her youth. Now, it was even colder than she remembered.

Before Elsa could speak again, a voice croaked out. Elsa whipped around to look at its speaker; the old woman.

"Sir, I beseech you." The beggar woman shook where she stood, but continued to speak. "I have been traveling for days without rest. Please…" This time, her mother was the voice who responded.

"You should be grateful that we don't throw you out this instant. Filthy crone, either take what you have or take your leave." Elsa was too sickened to speak out again as her mother's hard eyes flickered over to her. The young princess saw her mother open her mouth, but before the Queen could spew anymore venom from her mouth, she was interrupted.

By a glowing that originated from behind the princess.

All who were present had to shield their eyes as the beggar woman began to glow and grow before them all. Age was shed as lush skin glowed upon the growing figure's towering frame. The old beggar woman seemed to melt away into a beautiful Enchantress, who had once been smaller than Elsa, was now taller than the king himself. White, straggly strands revived into a thick mane of stunning gold and beauty descended upon her features. Though her beauty was that of a storm; the presence of danger was clear as her eyes took on the spark of lightning.

The voice that followed was familiar to Elsa. It was the same one that the Enchantress used in the hallway, but she no longer whispered.

The Enchantress voice transcended through their flesh and echoed in their minds.

"You have been deceived by your own cold heart. You know nothing of love, and thus a curse I place upon you."

A flash of lightning was all Elsa could see before the whole world went white.

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**AN. I Am Evil. And I love it.**

**And now you start to see where the 'Beauty and the Beast' starts to play into the story. But it won't go in the same direction. I'm planning something else. But sorry, no spoilers. **

**Oh, and quick question: does anyone want to see Anna sooner or later? I'm kind of stuck on when I should introduce her. She's going to be here, but I can't pin down when. Any thoughts?**

**As always: comments, concerns, and ****informed**** critiques are forever welcomed in the reviews. Honestly, I love each and every one I get.**

**So, until next time, Au revoir. **


	4. Changes

**Hello once again my pretties. Another week means another chapter. And this one is after the cliffhanger I left. Let's see if anyone survived.**

**Muahahahahaha! …But for fair warning, this is more of a transition chapter with lots of talking, but it's needed. I promise to do better with next week's update.**

**And without further ado, Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing, though I enjoy putting the pieces together.**

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Chapter 4: Changes

Elsa's eyes felt very heavy. She desperately wanted more sleep, but a strong light was directed into her closed lids. Wearily, she tossed her head. This did nothing as the light refused to leave. Giving up the search for sleep, she attempted to open her eyes. Elsa immediately shut them at the piercing brightness that blinded her.

It took several more moments for her eyes to adjust and for her head to throw off the haze of sleep. But when she did, she leapt out of her bed with her heart in her throat.

_What? My bed?_

Taking a better look around her, she concluded that she truly was in her bedroom. Her working desk was littered with her tutors' finished assignments and the already read texts. The blue hue of the walls tried to convey a serenity that the young princess did not feel because at every blink of her eyes, she remembered.

She remembered the bitter snow and clawing winds. She remembered the fire's warmth and the smell of chocolate. She remembered her father's coldness and Gerda's arms. Yet, what she remembered most was the inhumanly bright light that pierced her eyes before unconsciousness made her memory fail her.

What she did not remember was how she ended back into her room.

Her hands shook and tears pricked her eyes. That could not have been a dream. It was too real, too close. At that moment, Princess Elsa of the Kingdom of Arendelle forgot all of her hard-learned lessons of elegance and propriety. Patience and control no longer existed. She was not a princess or an heir to a throne.

Instead, she was a terrified little girl as she raced out of her bedroom in a blind panic.

Her breath quickly became ragged and bare feet struck the floor harder and harder as she pushed herself towards her parents' bedroom. Not even thinking about knocking, she pushed open the heavy door into an empty room. The bed's sheets were tossed and when she laid her hand upon the fabric, it was cold.

_They did not return. _

At the thought, a choked sob was wrenched out of the girl. She whirled around and raced back out of the empty room with hysteria nipping at her heels. Pure fear made her thoughts so scrambled and incoherent that she acted upon instinct to seek someone out. Anyone to hold her tight and calm her.

"Gerda," Her screams echoed down the empty corridors, calling out the names of the closest people in her life. "Gerda, Mama!"

No one was out. Not guards, maids, or servant men. The hollowness of sound and life only stroked Elsa's panic into a frenzy as no one answered her calls. Racing around a sharp corner, the sight she sees sends her skidding to a stop.

At the end of the particular corridor, there stood double oak doors that opened to an overhanging balcony. With the heavy snow of the time of year, the balcony laid unused and abandoned. What had made the young princess stop was the fact that the doors were wide open and deep golden hair stood out amidst the white.

Sitting on the snow-covered seat was the Enchantress.

As if sensing Elsa's presence, the mane of gold turned to reveal a breath-taking beauty dressed in a satin robe of green. The trembling princess and the serene woman locked eyes for a stretch of time. A second, a minute, or an hour could have passed and Elsa wouldn't have even know as she stared into storm-blue eyes. But the silence held as the Enchantress beckoned her forward.

In the spell of her intense stare, Elsa's weak legs carried her outside. The snow stung her toes as the breeze sent shivers down the young girl's spine, but she did not stop until she stood before the Enchantress. The instant she did stop, warm arms wrapped themselves around her trembling shoulders and into a warm embrace.

She couldn't do anything, but scrunch into a ball and begin sobbing.

Though Elsa's eyesight was hazy with tears, she was not completely blind. A delicate hand brush through her hair and another stroked her back soothingly, calming the disorder in her near-white locks and her mind. The gentle smell of exotic flowers drifted into her nose as a hymn trickled into her ears.

Time passed slowly for the pair, but it still passed. Elsa's sobs soon trailed into silence while her tears came slower and slower until the twin streams dried out. Her breathing became deeper and deeper until it matched the woman's own.

Again, the silence settle around the pair with the silently falling snow.

"Young Elsa," the Enchantress spoke. Elsa felt the tone more than she heard it, but she tilted her face upward. Eyes locked; stormy seas met trembling ice as the woman's voice sounded again.

"You have no need to fear me. I bring no harm to you."

"…Where… where is everyone?" She was too aware of their isolation. The sun was above the horizon and the castle was as silent as it was during midnight.

"I've put a spell upon the castle as to put everyone to sleep. They are unharmed and safely in bed." The words did not shock the princess, but she knew that the older woman was not completely truthful.

"Not everyone."

She recognized the surprise that sparked in the older woman's eyes. Princess Elsa of Arendelle would never have believed such a thing as magic existing outside the pages of her favorite stories. But the princess was long gone. In her place, an unknown girl with the same name. Elsa waited.

"No, not everyone."

"How many?"

"Only three."

Elsa's mind eye traveled back to the empty room. She still felt the chill upon the cold sheets. Feeling numb, she pull away slightly until Elsa fully faced the Enchantress.

"What did you do?"

The Enchantress did not answer. Instead, she shifted Elsa slightly in her lap. Reaching a hand into her sleeve, a faint red glow came into the rising sun's rays.

It was the rose. It seemed to be even more perfect than from the previous night. Its thorny stem was warm to the touch. Droplets of water upon the petals sparkled were diamonds sitting against satin while its faint aroma fluttered through the air. It did not fail to entrance the princess for a second time.

When the perfect flower was placed in her hands, Elsa broke her stare to look at the golden beauty.

"This is the rose I gave you last night. What is so special about this flower is not its beauty, but its use. It is enchanted to help you in any way it can, but only if your intentions are as pure as the rose itself."

The words seem to sear themselves into Elsa's mind as they flowed through the air. In fact, every detail came slowly to the young girl, yet sunk into her being.

"Ask." Elsa did not need to be told again.

"May I see my parents…please?" The words are hesitant, but clear. Her slight pride at the steadiness of her voice was quickly forgotten at the sight of a growing unearthly light. Looking down, her eyes squinted at the bright red glow in her now numb hands. Yet, as quickly as the light had emerged, it dimmed.

And when Elsa looked at her hands, she noticed that she was no longer holding a rose. Instead, an odd mirror was clasped within her fingers. It had the shape of a slender silver brush, but in the place where the bristles were supposed to be, a flat and reflective mirror was there. An elaborate stem framed the mirror as metal leaves gleamed and inflexible petals sparkled with real diamonds.

However, Elsa's eyes were locked onto the mirror that no longer reflected its surrounding but showed a vision. Two wolves were tearing into a carcass. The faint sound of snapping jaws and ripping flesh sounded from the mirror. The normally gruesome sight was inexistent to Elsa as she focused on one specific fact: The two wolves were covered in scraps of clothing.

Her eyes recognized her mother's favorite necklace on the smaller wolf's neck and her father's cuffs that hung from the larger wolf's paws. The sight sent an odd tightening to her throat and a tremble in her hands.

"They were beasts at heart, so to beasts they became." The words were spoken with no emotion.

"No, you made them into beasts." Elsa's words carried a flicker of anger that was not missed by the magic wielding woman.

"Oh, I did not. If only you knew half of what your parents did to the people of this kingdom, then you would truly understand and do something more useful than flaring that temper of yours." The quiet laugh that accompanied sent the small flicker into a flame, giving the younger girl the strength to glare at the Enchantress.

Anger was not an emotion Elsa felt often and never to the degree that she felt at that moment. It made Elsa reckless as she threw out her next words. "Then, why spare me? I'm the daughter of beasts, so I am a beast, too."

Empathetically, the golden mane shook from side to side in denial. "No. Contrary to what the world believes, blood does not mean everything. You, yourself, proved that to me."

Elsa hated the woman's calm words and as she was ready to snap out another retort, the words never came out as a familiar scent drifted in the air. With a glow coming from the corner of her gaze, Elsa turned to see that the mirror changed. Now it showed… herself, but not her reflection.

Eyes wide and anger forgotten, she saw herself helping a small cloaked figure to drink. It took her no time to see that the mirror was reflecting her actions of the previous night. She helped the woman to drink the hot chocolate before the serenity shattered with her parents' arrival.

Feeling fingers curl around her chin, her eyes locked again with the Enchantress's heavy gaze.

"You, Elsa, had done more for me than either of your parents have ever done for the entirety of their kingdom. I do not ask for your forgiveness, but for your understanding." She paused briefly. "Not now, but as you grow, I know that you will learn more."

"Learn what?"

"Seven secrets. Both good and bad secrets. Subjects that your parents specifically kept from you. And if you have not learned all of them by the time of your twenty-first birthday, I will return to teach you the remaining ones."

_What? What secrets? What does she mean?_

"Until that day has arrived, I must take my leave." This made Elsa shake out of her thoughts rather quickly.

"Wait! Why are you leaving? Why can't you tell me of these secrets now?"

"Well, what good will I be if I simply gave you all the answers that you seek at this moment. You are an orphaned princess with no power to call your own. The people who were with you last night will remember as you have, but the rest of the world will know something else."

The condescending tone should have insulted her, but the truth crowded over it. She had no parents. There was no King or Queen to Arendelle. She was next to rule, but she was only ten years old!

_I-I can't…I._

A sick wave of fear nearly overcame Elsa; clogging her throat and springing tears from her eyes. She threw her hands, mirror and all, around the older woman; tucking her face into the Enchantress's neck. As if knowing her true thoughts, the calm voice cooed. "You are not alone, Elsa. You will face trails with good hearts standing alongside you."

She felt slender arms reaching around to comfort her in return. She scrunched her eyes tighter at the light that threatened to pierce her eyes.

"Keep the rose close."

And with a faint flash of light, the Enchantress was gone.

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**AN. Well, I made Elsa an orphan. It's official. I'm evil. Forgive me, Elsa!**

**Then again, as I'm envisioning the future chapters, I know that I won't be regretting it. But to be honest, I don't really like the ending. I tried to play around with the wording of it, but nothing hit me. Maybe future inspiration will help me.**

**The mirror is the same shape as in the 'Beauty and the Beast' movie, except that it's supposed to be more fragile-looking and have a border of the rose's stem around the mirror with the actual rose near the handle. I hope to describe it more as Elsa gets out of her shock. **

**Oh, and Kristoff's… um… 'fate' will be revealed in the next chapter. *snickers***

**As always: comments, concerns, and ****informed**** critiques are forever welcomed. I treasure each and every one.**

**So, until next time, Au revoir. **


	5. Time

**Hiya, the beautiful people of the internet and I have another chapter for you to enjoy.**

**Oh, I want to make a quick notice to you all. I went back to chapter 4 and changed the number of secrets from ten to seven. It was supposed to be seven in the first place, but I typed ten. Typo, but its seven and seven it will stay.**

**And without further ado, Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing of Frozen or anything Disney-relative, though I enjoy putting the pieces together.**

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Chapter 5: Time

_Tick-tock_

_Tick-tock_

Time moves so oddly now for Elsa.

_Tick-tock_

_Tick-tock_

Time now has a habit of changing its pace. Sometimes seconds jump, and other times they crawl.

_Tick-tock_

_Tick-tock_

And with such instability, the young princess has grown to strongly dislike the ticking and tocking of clocks. They indicate time moving at a constant rate; never changing and forever equal.

But Elsa knows that the ticking and tocking are lying. She should have known sooner, but she was in denial for so long.

The first clue was present after the Enchantress had left the castle. Elsa spent a few minutes on the snow-covered balcony before Gerda arrived in a panic. When she had asked the worried maid, the reply was that she was missing for an hour.

She didn't think anything of the reply at first, thinking the Enchantress's magic had an influence of Gerda's judgment. However, the anomalies continued as time passed. Reading long texts that should have taken several hours at best to go through took only a few. And several hours pass by within her thoughts, but the ticking said that a day has come and gone.

Elsa had stopped believing in the ticking to tell time. Instead, she counted the passing moments in intervals of her beloved maid's appearances. Gerda's warm eyes never lied; their appearances always counted to perfection.

The warmth was one of the few constant elements left in her world and she clung to them with fervor. Another constant was the change in seasons.

In Elsa's mind, she sometimes wondered why winter was so much longer than spring or summer. Sometimes, she thought winter was greedy. However way her thoughts were like, she knew that the seasons were constant. An extended winter with chips of spring, summer, and autumn.

And with those indicators, she was able to tell when a year and a half year passed after her talk with the Enchantress.

It was odd to Elsa. She could not imagine how the time had passed without her notice. A year and a half year should be plenty of time to have made memorable actions. But it was not so for the young princess.

She spent the entire time within her room.

Her meals were taken next to her bed. Her lessons were taught by the hearth as Elsa sat listening at her desk. She bathed in the small chamber connected to her room by a flimsy door. She had books brought to her by kindly asking any of the nearby maids and servants. She watched the snow melt and return from her window seat.

What took most of her time was studying the rose mirror as she sat on the floor. She would sit in the corner of her room for hours on end to simply look at the mirror. She did not ask anything from the reflective surface, but studied its design. Her eyes often traced the glitter of the silver in contrast to the dark, interweaving stems.

That alone took a day.

Several times, she caught her fingers tracing the flower's metallic petals, wondering why they still felt so soft. Other times she would wonder why she did not notice her own movements. This, too, would take about a day.

On a few rare moments, she would try to ask from the mirror. The Enchantress's words still hung in her mind from time to time. Echoing about secrets and a reunion if she should not figure their messages. She wanted to find out. She needed to find what the Enchantress was hinting at. But the few images she received in turn were vague and blurry.

Her entire life had become concentrated onto the confines of her room. At the age of eleven, nearly twelve, the girl was crippled to remain in her room. With the rose mirror patiently sitting on her work desk, time passed.

But no one questioned her self-isolation. Reason being was that everyone in the kingdom believed that the King and Queen were dead. Killed at sea from a ferocious storm. Their graves were empty and the burial was a relatively small affair. Elsa could not remember much of the burial ceremony. She did not know why.

Only that of her desire to leave and hurry away to another funeral. That one having an empty grave, too.

The repetition of jumping and crawling time was not too troublesome to Elsa. As long as anyone who wished to enter her room had knocked first, it was fine. She would snap to attention and become the princess they expected. And with her tragic 'loss,' everyone was very lenient with Elsa's desires. Her solace was found in the fact that a few souls did know the truth. Who did remember what had happened during that horrid blizzard.

But no matter the struggle she faced on some particular day, Elsa was still a little girl. She was still human. And humans were restless creatures. And after so much missed time, Elsa's feet began to twitch.

It started slowly. At first, making her fidget as she listened to her lectures or ate her meals. Then, she started losing sleep. Her soft covers had lost their influence on her restless feet. Pacing around her room eased the twitch, but not entirely away.

So, she took to walking the hall outside her door. It helped, for a while.

Soon the restlessness became so much that she had to walk through the gardens several times before she could rest. But only three souls knew of her walks since she always took them under the cover of night.

And at this night, she was going to visit two of them.

She spent the hours before at the rose mirror. She asked again for the secrets, but the same vague visions flashed before her blue eyes. One in particular lasted longer than the rest. After having so much time to think of the oddities before her, she knew that time was slipping away.

After the moon was hung high and full amongst the stars, she attached her dark cloak and exited her room. Her dress was of a particular design, ordinarily beautiful with a rather large pocket in which she stowed away the mirror.

The cloak was more for concealment than for warmth as the autumn chill did not bother Elsa. She hardly paid attention as to where her feet stepped as she had retained her excellent memory of the castle grounds.

Out of the halls and across the courtyard, she stuck to the shadows to avoid the passing night guard but her direction never wavered. Her course was the royal stables.

A small light flickered from deep within the structure and an instrument could be heard being strummed. With a look inside, Elsa was not surprise to see that the ones she wished to see were already awake. A small oil lamp was the source of the wavering light and a small lute was the source of the strums.

Sir Sven had surprisingly slender fingers that plucked on the lute's strings. He did not notice Elsa's appearance as his back faced her. Instead, he sang a song with his voice easily in tune with another gruff tone. Elsa knew it had something to do with reindeers, but did not pay attention to the words as her mind sunk and swayed into the rhythm.

Yet again, she did not know how much time had passed until she heard her name be called out.

"Your Highness." It was Sir Sven who did a small bow while still remaining seated on the floor. The gesture would have been considered rude to the standards of royalty, but it merely made Elsa's lips quirk up.

"And hello to you, Sir Sven. Lovely night for music-making."

"Oh, yes it is." A snort of agreement sound out from a towering pile of hay, drawing her attention.

"Hello, Kristoff." Next to the hay mountain, laid a sturdy reindeer. Long, hoofed legs were tucked carefully under a furry frame. His thick brown coat hid the muscular build of the deer as the eyes shone with welcome.

She once remembered those eyes being filled with cold intentions and indifference. The brown evil tar of the past had melted into warm chocolate eyes that she now looked into. Though she would never say it to Sir Sven, Elsa like Kristoff as a reindeer more than as a man.

She felt a closeness to the warm animal than she ever could at the cold soldier. At first, the closeness was sprung from their shared tragedies as both their worlds were permanently changed. Elsa had lost her parents as surely as Kristoff had lost his sense of self. One cripple leaning against another cripple in face of the world.

As she sat down next to the reindeer to give a tight hug, she could not say the same statement. She genuinely like the character that the man had acquired as a deer.

_Then again, you never really knew him well from before…_

"Your Highness, are you feeling well?" It was Sir Sven who drew her out of her mind. She must have stayed quiet for too long again. Time was slipping away too fast.

"Yes, I am. I wish to ask the both of you a question, but I'm just having a difficult time trying to word something." Honestly, she did not come down here to ask them what she had suspected for a while. She kept the Enchantress's words to heart.

_Keep the rose close... __Might as well get it over with. _

"Ask any way you can. We'll listen." Another snort and an antlered nod supported this statement.

"Well," She hesitated. She did not want to offend with words, so she decided to show them. "I want to show you something first."

The pair's curiosity could not have more obvious. As she withdrew the rose mirror from her dress, trepidation flickered in their expressions. No one of their small group could ever have forgotten of the magic-wielding Enchantress. A memory of awe and terror. With that, Elsa's train of thought spun out a tale for the duo.

"You see, the mirror was acting odd for a few days now, and keeps displaying a certain image." As she drew closer to the pair, she raised the mirror to cover her lips as she whispered the command.

"Show me the secrets of seven."

She quickly maneuvered herself so all three of them could look into the now glowing mirror. As the first image of seven came forth, she slide her hand forward and touch the glass.

The image paused in place, showing a somewhat identifiable image. It was of two young boys dressed in dented metal armor and held weapons in their soft hands. The huge armor overshadowed the boys' smaller frames and the swords they held were dripped in blood. Their dull faces were empty of emotion.

Looking at the image and at the two beside her, Elsa's suspicions were growing stronger. The two boys greatly resembled Sven and Kristoff's previous human form.

The silence broke as Kristoff's call of recognition. If Elsa was looking into his eyes, she would have seen the unshed tears in the reindeer's expression. Yet, Elsa eyes were fixed on the mirror. She was right. But the question remained; what secret did the two of them know? She had to know. She spent too long in herself. She wasted a year and a half year in pity that she had barely nine years left to figure the images.

She greatly dislike the idea of the Enchantress returning to the castle. They all did. Nine years seemed to be plenty of time to anyone, but Elsa. She did not know how long Time wished to continue its disorientating habit, but she rather finish her task sooner than later.

"How exactly did you two come to be knights of Arendelle?"

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**AN: I know. Not terribly exciting, but I had to cut the chapter I was working on in half. So, you all better buckle down for the next chapter. **

**Also, beware. It seems that I found a mind-reader in my reviews by the name of **_**artsoccer. **_**Anywho, she/he had a perfect guess at what I did to poor Kristoff. I did think of doing something horrible to Sven, too. But since he did not reject the Enchantress, I couldn't. Back to the drawing board!**

**But for all who may be confused, only Gerda, Sven, Kristoff, Elsa, and Anton (the royal physician) know what truly happened on that night. The Enchantress casted a spell that made Elsa's parents and Kristoff himself appeared dead from being lost at sea to all others.**

**It's getting a bit tougher to post these up. College is taking pleasure in pounding any creativity out of my head. But I will not fall. And the reviews always keep me going.**

**As always: comments, concerns, and ****informed**** critiques are forever welcomed in the review box. Truly, **_**artsoccer,**__**ShadowWolfBeast**_**, **_**Angela3000**_**, and **_**Lyanah**_**, your comments are seriously a shot of energy and keep me pumped up and ready to do more. **

**So, until next time, Au revoir.**


	6. Envy and Wrath

**Hiya, peoples. Six chapters already up. Wow. And a late Happy Saint Patrick's Day to you all. I personally had a blast on that day, but the green won't get out of my hair. XD**

**But I do have some bad news, I can't upload next Thursday. The next chapter will be two weeks from now. I'm seriously sorry for this, but midterms are breathing down my neck and I gotta do what I gotta do. I just wanted to say this so you all don't get surprised. **

**But even with my midterms, I'll still be typing more of the story to bring you guys the best I can give.**

**So without further ado, Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Frozen, or Disney, or blah, blah, blah. You guys know the drill.**

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Chapter 6: Envy and Wrath

_Tick-tock…_

…_tock…_

…_tock-tick…_

Elsa barely heard the ticking of the clock. It held no more importance to her. She was attempting to not think. Attempting and failing.

She sat on her window seat with her back turned towards her bedroom. However, she was not looking through the glass and at the world beyond. It was still too early for the sun to help her see anything. Instead, Elsa's focus was on a faint image that she could faintly see against the window's glass. But it wasn't her reflection. At least, she did not believe it was.

A strange person was looking back at her. A very strange young girl.

_When did the window become like the rose mirror?_

The thought drifted away as quickly as it was formed. The stranger had her features, but the cheekbones jutted out from the pale skin from malnutrition. The stranger had her hair color, but the strands were dull and escaped from a long-forgotten braid. The stranger had her eyes, but the hue was wrong, dead. The dull blue orbs encompassed by pale bruises and held shadows that swam into view.

_Is that me?_

The odd and lingering thought was brushed away with difficulty. That could not be her. But Elsa did feel pity for the poor girl. What horrors did the little girl before her had to go through to have such a face. Elsa wished that she could cheer up the dull eyes and bring a smile to the waxy lips.

As if in answer, a ray of light hit her straight in the eyes. Momentarily blinded, she shielded her eyes shut. A strange, circular shadow lingered in her vision at the unexpected light as she blinked several times to be rid of it. Cautiously sneaking a peep through her fingers, she was surprised at what she saw.

The heavy cloud cover that usually blotted the sky from the earth was thinning and breaking apart in irregular intervals. This allowed a bright orange sun to shine through as it hung low on the horizon; steadily beginning to ascend to the sky. The few sparks of light in the rapidly fading indigo sky began to fade as the stars' light was overpowered by the bright behemoth.

Elsa could feel her jaw hang open at the sight. Her shock was not from the stunning hues that bleed into the clouds or smoothness of the retreat of the slinking shadows.

_Its sunrise already? How? I just left the stables! This can't be-_

_Knock-knock_

Rapidly turning from the window, she lurched to her feet. Struggling to regain a calmness that she did not have, Elsa voice trembled as she bid the knocker to enter.

As the door revealed Gerda with a gleaming plate of breakfast, the young girl's heart suddenly and horribly clenched. Though her beloved maid's words echoed around the room, Elsa could not hear a thing. Her thoughts were in a frenzy. Frantically attempting to recall the several hours that surely would have passed after her talk with Sir Kristoff and Sir Sven, fear rippled through her as she failed.

A warm weight had descended upon her shoulders and began to shake them heavily. Elsa did not know when she began gasping, but as Gerda's arms wrapped themselves around her frame, she could feel her own ragged breath bounce back to her cheeks. Everything was shaking. Elsa was trembling. Nothing was stable except the arms that held her still.

Elsa clung to the arms in desperation as weakness force itself upon her soul. Numbness followed soon after.

Long moments passed as Elsa was held. Her world had shrunk to encompass nothing more than her warm cocoon. But something was struggling to enter. A low hum echoed in the edges of Elsa's awareness. Growing louder, she recognized it as a song.

…_Gerda's lullaby…_

The same soft tones that used to tempt the young girl into slumber, now soothed her ravaged and disorientated mind. It was a godsend balm which rippled through Elsa's entire being, soothing aching muscles and cradling a battered soul that she no long fought to hide. Slowly, but surely, she fell limply, but those arms caught her. They always had.

Her knees landed on her floor, but Elsa did not wince. She wanted nothing more than to just lay against Gerda for eternity. She wanted nothing more than to have Gerda make her forget everything she had ever heard. And with the song, her maid was doing a spectacular job at it.

Elsa felt herself be shifted slightly and the ground no longer touched her knees. While being carried, her mind was still numb as the lullaby's affect left her mind blissfully empty.

Though the numbness remained, that did not mean that Elsa could not feel differences. She knew when she was set upon the bed, but refused to release Gerda's clothing. More shifting from Gerda occurred before Elsa could feel her clothes loosening. On instinct, her fingers unclasped Gerda and her arms raised up numbly.

Only when Elsa was stripped from her dirty cloak and dress did she realized that she had not changed since her visit to the stables. The moment soft silk was draped over her exposed skin, Elsa's hands came back down to clasp at Gerda and her head was buried in Gerda's neck. Her eyes stung slightly as they rubbed against Gerda's dress collar.

Another shift and Elsa could smell the faint perfume of her bed. A fainter pressure tugged at her hands making Elsa unclench them. She kept her eyes closed as Gerda pulled away to tuck the warm sheets around her. A moment passed before Elsa heard a quiet _clink._

Still, Elsa kept her eyes closed.

A cold object touched her lips. She bit into the unknown without protest and chewed slowly. Sweetness spread on her tongue and waft up into her nose. It was a bilberry. Her favorite fruit. Another berry was pressed to her lips and she bit into that one, too. The process repeated for a while before stopping.

Only when the berries stopped coming, did Elsa open her eyes. Gerda was setting an empty bowl back on the tray that sat on her bedside table. The candles were pushes aside to make room for the heavily laden tray. Other bowls were filled to the brim with food, but Gerda only lifted a cup of tea to Elsa's lips.

Honey and sugar were mixed with the brew, just how she preferred her tea. Once empty, Gerda refilled the cup and brought it back to Elsa's lips. Empty again, and the cup never returned.

Elsa refused to tear her eyes from Gerda as the maid stroked a fire in the hearth into a healthy blaze and set the dirty clothes aside. A search through the wrinkled dress revealed the rose mirror, which Gerda handled with care and placed it upon the little space that remained on the bedside table. When Gerda was finished, she kneeled beside Elsa's bed and reached over to stroke her hair.

It was at the moment that Elsa had noticed that in the entire morning, neither Gerda nor Elsa spoke. Gerda sung to her, but did not ask or pester Elsa for answers. No matter how much pain the maid was in, Gerda would serve faithfully. The glistening tear tracks on the older woman's cheeks proved that.

_She is crying because of you. Say something. Gerda deserves better than this._

With that firm thought, Elsa broke the silence.

"I'm so sorry," her small voice whispered. This caused Gerda to shed another tear which disappeared on the wet tracks. Gerda leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Elsa's forehead all the while running her fingers through Elsa's strands.

"I know, love. I know." Gerda's other hand gently brushed at Elsa's cheeks, drying tears that she did not even know she shed. Looking into her beloved maid's eyes, Elsa knew that Gerda understood. She knew that Elsa was apologizing for keeping away. For working herself so hard. For not eating all of the food brought to her. For sneaking out. For lying.

Gerda knew, and shame bubbled up into the young girl's throat.

"Gerda," she forced herself to finish the sentence. "Am I mad?"

"No, child. You're as sane as you always were."

"What if I was always mad and I did not know it until now?"

"Why do you ask this?"

Elsa did not reply. Instead, she reached for the rose mirror. The warmth from the metal was nothing in comparison to Gerda's stroking hand. Barely giving her own reflection a glance, she whispered.

"Show me the secrets of seven."

Light glowed from the glass briefly before settling on the vision she wanted to show Gerda. Touching the glass to freeze the image, she turned to show Gerda. The two blood-stained armored boys were much clearer now. Sven's chocolate eyes shone in fear as Kristoff's golden hair was slicked in blood. The resemblance was unmistakable now.

Waving her hand from left-to-right, the image disappeared. The silence that followed was loud.

"Kristoff and Sven told me what really happened at Corona." This time, Gerda did not reply. Her brown eyes watched Elsa. She continued.

"Kristoff and Sven were born in Corona, not here." Elsa paused to take a deep breath. "You and your husband were born there."

"…Yes, we all were."

"And Sven and Kristoff were telling the truth, weren't they?"

"Yes, they were."

Memories from the previous night at the stables threatened to overwhelm Elsa. She clenched her eyes shut to push them away. She did not want to remember. She did not want to think.

"I think I'm insane, like Father." The stroking fingers continued their repetition and gave Elsa the strength to continue.

"Before the Enchantress left, she talked with me. She gave me the mirror." Gerda's reply laid within her brown eyes. _I know._

"She said that I was different from Mother and Father. She said I was better. But how can I be better if I always tried to be them? How can I be better if I tried to be the same person who did this?" Elsa gulped a breath of air. "Mother could not, so how can I?

Gerda's fingers that had worked nonstop on Elsa's hair now drifted down to her pale cheeks. Holding Elsa's face in between her hands, she spoke with a hollowness.

"The day that it happened, your mother was heart-broken. She had gone through more pain than any person should. Everything she knew was taken from her, except two little servant boys and her most trusted handmaid. She was never the same. And when you were born, she ordered me to raise you. Not because she did not wish to. But your mother knew that she no longer could."

"How do you know?"

"Even with her broken heart, I still knew your mother better than anyone else. I knew her heart was crippled and hurting, and I know that she knew that. Your mother was many things, but outright cruel to children she was not."

Gerda's hand released Elsa face before returning to their previous destinations. Elsa's eyelids grew steadily and steadily heavier. She was tired, but refused the call of sleep.

"But, if it wasn't Mother's fault, I can have Father's madness." She rushed and stumbled over her words, panicking when she realized that she could not fight her eyelids for long. "T-time is g-getting away from me. I-I don't remember what I-I've b-been doing o-or for h-how long. And I don't r-remember-"

A swift pull brought Elsa into Gerda's arms again. This time, Elsa could feel her tears running hot from her cheeks and soaking into Gerda's clothes. She could feel her own chest convulse in sobs and hear her cries, muffled from being pressed against the maid's chest.

Behind Elsa's eyes, she saw a grand house be burned to the ground. She saw a chained girl in royal clothes sobbing into the earth. She saw the blood-soaked ground boil against the heat. But what she saw most clearly was her father's twisted face. The face who sought what it wanted. The face that either coveted what it wanted or took what it wanted by force.

It was the face of envy and wrath.

With the images swimming in her mind, Elsa did not notice herself be shifted fully onto Gerda's lap as she was rocked back and forth. It took a long time before the last of her sobs whimpered away.

Exhaustion crushed Elsa and she so desperately wanted to stay awake. Instead, her eyelids never reopened and her dazed mind slowed down. But before completely going unconscious, Gerda's words came once more.

"You are precious, because you have your mother's heart and steady mind with your father's strength and authority. You are the best of both, and that makes you a beautiful person. Right now, you are grieving and exhausted. So, sleep. Tomorrow will look better."

After those words were said, Gerda began to sing her lullaby, but Elsa never noticed. By then, she was asleep.

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**AN: Damn, that was probably the most emotional chapter I've written. Then again, I don't really know if I did okay. Any thoughts?**

**And yeah, King Agdar did some serious bad things. I'll explain more when Elsa is a bit more emotionally stable. Queen Idun has earned her punishment, too, so she's not innocent. But all things aren't black and white. We will learn more as we continue on this journey.**

**I hope Gerda's wise words have answered your thoughts,**_** artsoccer. **_**When things go to hell, the world around does become scary and blurred. Elsa's going through that, and I made the time all funky to Elsa to show that...kind of. And don't worry, **_**ShadowWolfBeast. **_**Elsa still got some more stuff to go through before really finding peace, but she's going to have help along the way. **

**Oh, and bilberries are real. I'm not joking. They actually grow in Norway and look a lot like blueberries. And now I'm hungry for bilberries. XD**

**And remember, next-next Thursday is when I can post the next chapter. But I promise that I'll be typing at any free moment I get. **

**As always: comments, concerns, and ****informed**** critiques are forever welcomed in the reviews. Honestly, I love each and every one I get.**

**So, until next time, Au revoir. **


	7. Locked Away

**Hello, my pretties. I'm back from my brief stay away from here with another chapter for all of you. And I seriously missed this place. I had too many ideas floating in my brain to not write about them. The one-chapter-per-week should be steady for now on, but I'll let all of you know if something comes up.**

**Oh, and a late Happy April Fool's day to all. Hopefully, you all got though that day without a serious pranker finding you. ;)**

**And a quick thingy, there is a little symbol that looks like this, **0*0*0**. There's two of them and the words between them are kind of a flashback on things Elsa has discovered. But the rest occurs as in the present time. Just so no one gets too confused.**

**So without further ado, Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Maybe the few OC's that you're going to see in this chapter are mine, but everything else: NOPE.**

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Chapter 7: Locked Away

As a mark of respect, the late king's and queen's advisors left their respective studies untouched and locked away. At least, that was what was told when Elsa was within their presence. At the time, she thought nothing of the action. She was unable to do many things as her mind, body, and soul were encased in numbing ice.

As the years started to pass, the young princess had begun to grow and thaw. On the fifteenth summer of her life, Elsa could not deny her own growth. Time gave height to her body, length to her hair, and scars upon her heart. She was no longer silent by her nerves. Instead, she watched and analyzed with a steely gaze. And now, Elsa was not so easily swayed.

_Hate… it always seemed to be too strong of a word. _

Once upon a time, that word was unimaginable to a starry-eyed little princess. She could never imagine herself deliberately saying such harshness onto anyone or anything. Of course, the little princess had learned of dislike and annoyance, which she has felt before.

But that was in the past. Now… she hated the words that stood before her eyes. She hated nearly everything about the old letter down to the crinkly dryness of the paper and the handwriting that the words were written in.

Most of all, she hated the fact that she knew what the words before her had caused.

Right now, Elsa was seated within her late father's study. The air within the room that had been locked away for the past five years was incredible dusty and stale. Several trails of footsteps crisscrossed the floor from previous trips. The newest trail of footsteps was left from her earlier entrance and lead to an old bookcase before turning towards the work desk where she sat at.

The softness of the leather and the wealth of knowledge were ignored by Elsa. All Elsa was truly interested with was of the old letter from Corona.

It was a letter concerning a marriage proposal. More specially, a rejected marriage proposal. Through the longwinded explanations and overly complicated terms, the message was clear: the proposal was rejected. And at the bottom, a name was sign with a steady hand.

_Count Xavier Multon of Corona… He was mother's father… My grandfather…_

Texts from multiple books and sources suddenly floated into Elsa's mind. Each of the little texts that Elsa had diligently studied over the years added a piece to the portrait of destruction. All of them echoing and reinforcing the same cold fact into Elsa's head.

A dull pain throbbed at her temple, but Elsa knew what to do. After all, splitting headaches were no longer uncommon to the Princess of Arendelle. Her slender fingers carefully folded the old letter of doom and place it upon the desk. Other articles littered the once abandoned surface, however, she paid no attention to them. Leaning back against the leather, she let out a sigh as her eyelids closed. Ignoring the slight tickle on her cheeks from her longer eyelashes, she focused her thoughts on a single path.

0*0*0

At the age of twenty-five, the sole heir and ruler to the throne of Arendelle, King Agdar, began his search for a wife. He hosted a royal ball at the castle, calling out to trading partners and countries far and wide to be merry and feast upon the best of the land's delicacies. This attracted the attention of many considering the reputation of the kingdom's cold-hearted rulers; kings and queens of ice and isolation.

The ball was held in the beginnings of Arendelle's summer to allow enough warmth into the air and a brisk chill at night. And the ball was a success. The many nations who were represented at the ball ate and drank until they could hold no more. All were invited to stay amidst the castle walls and were catered to.

And luck found the young king at who he had met during the many nights of merry and feasting. The usually stoic king's attention was caught by a youthful countess. Warm amber eyes were framed by chocolate brown hair and shone with the spirit of a star. She had captivated many men, young and old, at the ball. Including a certain love-struck king.

Smitten with the countess, he spent time with her and came to know Countess Idun Multon of Corona. Apparently, they were inseparable as the two were clearly seen many times in each other's company. Just like any occasion, the familiarity between the two would have caused some rumors to fly about and circulate the royal and peasant crowds. However, the nights of fun came to an end. The ball ended with the departure of the young countess, but the young King Agdar was not done with the countess.

Letter after letter was sent from the King's chamber to the young countess. Both royals kept a strong connection as an entire year passed. Then, King Agdar had a letter sent to Count Xavier Multon of Corona. It was a proposal to marry his daughter. The Count first attempted to reject the proposal and forget of the matter entirely. But another proposal letter was sent, and after that, another was sent.

It was enough for the Count to realize what his daughter had done and what King Agdar did not know. The Count had to break a hidden truth to the King. At the beginnings of spring, Count Xavier sent a letter with the truth: his daughter was already happily married with a Coronian lord from the house Windhaven and already had a child.

Count Xavier never received a reply. Apparently, the young Countess Idun had stopped receiving letters from the King of Arendelle. No connection or communication had occurred for months between the Royal Family of Arendelle and the House of Multon. However, the silence between the houses was broken at the ending of autumn.

On the days leading to the final harvests, the peasants of Corona found gut-wrenching sights. The houses of Windhaven and Multon were found burning into rubble. Pikes with the Arendelle banner were erected all across the respective grounds with the heads of servants and royals alike. It was concluded that all of the members of House Windhaven and House Multon were murderer. However, closer investigation revealed that one member and several servants of the House Windhaven were unaccounted for.

The Royal Family of Corona was horrified. What made it worse off was the fact that when a meeting was held between the two kingdoms' kings on neutral ground, King Agdar never refuted the claims. It was rumored that the King of Corona grew as pale as snow as the King of Arendelle explained the coup with pride. Everything from the hired sell-swords and their weapons to the boats used to carry his captives away was explained in bone-chilling detail.

What had saved King Agdar from justice was not ignorance or mercy. It was military might. The threat of Arendelle's infamous navy and the inhospitable land locked in ice dissuaded the Coronian Council from seeking justice in such overwhelming odds. However, the King of Corona did not leave empty-handed.

King Gustav immediately cut ties with Arendelle and left the meeting with a single threat: If any of the Royal Family of Arendelle should ever set foot on Coronian soil again, then it would be considered an act of war.

0*0*0

Nearby footsteps jogged Princess Elsa from her musing. Looking up, she was surprised at who she saw. She never heard the door opening or the clang of his armor before now. Nevertheless, she spoke with as much openness as she had allowed herself.

"Hello, Sven." The knight in question bowed low before quietly relaying a message.

"Your Highness, dinner will begin shortly."

"Hmm, yes. Allow me to put these away and I will go to my room to clean up."

Neither of the two questioned the odd location of their meeting or of the documents laid on the table. After the meeting in the stables, Elsa had loss more and more sleep. After confiding in him and Kristoff about nightmares of blood and shadows, Sven and Kristoff gave her everything she needed to know. It was Sven himself who had provided her with the location of the hidden paperwork and the key to the door's lock.

This occurred a year prior, yet Elsa still returned to her father's study quite often. Sven never questioned her about it. He merely watched as she carefully folded and hid the tombs and paperwork in cleverly hidden crevices. The crevices ranged from simple books with an empty space to a hole behind a painting depicting the fjord to a hidden drawer in the work desk. She accomplished her task with a speed that betrayed the number of visits within the room.

Finished, Elsa reached a hand to Sven who linked their arms together and they left. Making sure to lock the door, the two went in the direction of Elsa's bedroom. Along the way, Elsa distracted herself from the quiet by comparing herself and Sven.

She had gained height over the years and the top of her head was just under Sven's shoulder. She had also become rather close to the two cousins and noticed when she had picked up their habits. She now enjoyed carrots and the itchy hay never bothered her. She even noticed when Sven's or Kristoff's eyes would often take a faraway look that would easily match her own.

Once arriving, Sven waited outside as Elsa entered.

Her bedroom had barely changed from any other day. The light blue walls welcomed and mocked her with their familiarity. However, Elsa ignored everything that was not needed to change out of her dusty dress and into more appropriate attire. Years of practice allowed the princess to easily change from the dust-covered dress into a modest, high collared dress.

Tossing the dusty dress away for Gerda to later pick up, she hesitantly looked at the door separating her from the rest of the world. After a short moment and with a shake of her head, she strode towards one of her bedside desks. She carefully kneeled next to the small desk before gently extracting a small key that hung around her neck. Using the key, she opened the bottom drawer.

Inside, the rose mirror glinted with the introduction of the invading light. Next to the mirror sat a pair of silk gloves and a small pouch. Barely hesitating, she took the gloves within her grasp before sliding them onto her hands. Then, she reached for the pouch. With the gloves, she could not truly feel the soft leather of the pouch or the roughness of the binds as she swiftly untied them. And with the softest of nudges, she allowed what was stored inside to slide out.

With a soft clink, two perfect rose petals sat in the palm of her silk covered hand. Setting the pouch down, Elsa handled the two petals with the care of holding a soapy bubble in one's hand. She looked in awe at the petals made entirely out of jewels. Perhaps they were a pair of rubies that were elegantly crafted to be rose petals. But the shade of red did not match the shade of normal rubies. What she did know was where they had come from.

Taking a glance at the rose mirror, she focused on the small ruby rose that sat near the handle. She had made it a habit on counting the petals.

_One, two-three, four, and five… and then the two in my hand makes seven._

A sigh that was part relief and part discontent left her lips. She had hope that she had found another secret with the letter, but she was not too hopeful. Part of her knew that her father's study no longer served a purpose.

Looking back at the petals that laid in her palm, she still remembered when Gerda had found them. The day after Elsa found out what her father did to Corona, the young princess slept through the day as Gerda was getting ready to wash the dirty dress. Before doing so, she made sure that all of the pockets were empty of any debris or material.

As she checked one specific pocket, Gerda's hand encountered the warmth of the two missing petals. Quickly realizing what they were, she hid the two jeweled petals in a small pocket in her own dress before continuing on with her duties. Gerda informed Elsa of the discovery as the young girl had woke up for dinner that day.

The presence of the two petals confused Elsa briefly before remembering where they might have come from. After quickly retrieving the rose mirror, she instantly noticed the difference. With her mind clear from the long sleep, Elsa saw the places where the two jeweled petals previously stood on the small rose were now empty. That left the remaining five petals to keep the small rose alive.

Now, Elsa gently handled the pair of petal-shaped jewels as if they were truly fragile petals. She now knew of their significance. Each petal was one of the secrets that the Enchantress warmed her about. And she had discovered only two of them in five years. The wrath that King Agdar had thrown at the two Coronian houses and the envy that fuel King Agdar's will to covet and abduct what he wanted to become his own.

A spasm of fear tickled down Elsa's spine at the thought. The Enchantress never physically hurt her, but Elsa had a very sensible respect and fear for the Enchantress's return should she fail to find all of the secrets before her twenty-first year.

Laying a gentle kiss upon each of the petals, she softly nudged the two jewels into the pouch and watched them as their sparkling gleam continued even as she slowly rebound the pouch. Setting the pouch with its precious cargo into the drawer, she quickly removed the silk gloves before taking one last look at the mirror.

Wavering at the silent call, she gently picked up the mirror. Looking back at her was a girl. This time, the scrawny, defeated child was not looking back at her. Instead, a steady and stern gaze glowed from the mirror and pierced Elsa. The young woman seemed slightly weary and was still thin, but no longer emaciated. A strength seeped from the reflection. A strength that unnerved her, since it reminded Elsa too much of her father's gaze.

Elsa's icy eyes flinched away briefly before returning. She had asked it before so many times. She had to ask. She had to have help. She dreaded becoming as her parents and grasped at anything to prevent herself from becoming them. So, Elsa leaned in and closed her eyes as she whispered her greatest desire to the silent mirror.

"Help me. Help me to be good."

She kept her eyes closed as she set the rose mirror back into the drawer and locked it away. Only when the small click of the lock sounded did she reopen her eyes.

Taking care to hide the small key, she buttoned up the high collar before standing up right. Feeling cautiously content in her moment, she decided to end it as she exited her room.

Sven said nothing as he took back her arm, and led the princess to the dining room. The journey was a quick one as they descended a flight of stairs and walked down a few corridors. But before Sven could turn the corner that led to their destination, he was pulled back as Elsa stopped walking.

Coming to a halt, Sven waited for the princess to speak. But the silence continued as Elsa's blue orbs stared into Sven's chocolate depths. Letting out a quiet sigh, he allowed his free hand to reach into a pocket sown over his heart. He retrieved a small, metal key that was dull and slightly rusted, but the shine that entered Elsa's eyes made up for the key's poor luster. He quickly put the key into a similar pocket that was sown into Elsa's dress.

The glow persisted in Elsa as she took both of Sven's hands within her own and laid a kiss to each one. After the brief touches of soft lips to rough hands had ended, Elsa lifted her head again to look straight at Sven.

"Thank you, Sir Sven."

They both shared a brief, content smile before joining arms once more and continuing on their way to dinner.

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**AN: Yeah, I like this one. I know that it's not really happy-happy all the time. But I'm working on that. Oh, and the last part was a completely surprise to me. A last minute addition that has me smiling from ear to ear. :D What do you guys think?**

**As always: comments, concerns, and ****informed**** critiques are forever welcomed in the reviews. I glad to be back and typing as I should be.**

**So, until next time, Au revoir. **


	8. Sloth and Greed

**Hey, peoples of Fanfiction. You see? I'm still with my story. Just got distracted with my other ongoing story, but I will split my efforts equally. And I got good ideas for both of them. But I won't tell, so you'll have to wait and see. But here's a chapter for you all. **

**So without further ado, Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Maybe the few OC's that you're going to see in the story are mine, but everything else: NOPE.**

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Chapter 8: Sloth and Greed

Sleep eluded Elsa. No matter how much she tossed, turned, or buried her head underneath her pillow, sleep would not come. The problem was that a storm sent from Thor himself raged just beyond her window.

The storm clouds had grumbled all through the morning before finally releasing their wrath at noon. The groaning and moaning of wood and stone would not stop as the castle shook for hours on end. The power of the storm was unmistakable and unrivaled as even the sun dare not to present itself as sunset.

Even now, the storm strength had not waned thought its assault.

Now, it was late at night. Far too late for Elsa to be awake. Without the storm, she would have slept. Not much, but enough for her for her to function as a princess of her kingdom. But now, it was far too much work for her to gather sleep.

So, she laid in bed. Her hands had interlocked her fingers and her shoulders had scrunched around her ears in a vain attempt to block the thunder and rain lashing on the outside.

The room was as dark as pitch. The only source of light came from the brief flashes of lightning that accompanied the thunder. The room would flash white, and then fade into brief color before descending into darkness again.

Elsa thought of nothing in particular as she traced the ceiling stones. She could not. She tried, but the thunder easily scattered her thoughts. Nothing was too important to withstand the clamoring noises. But after a while, she knew she could not continue her gazing.

Her toes itched ever so slightly.

_Well, it's no good to waste too much free time. But what to do?_

The thunder exploded once again, but this time, the thought remained. What was she to do with her newly acquired time?

Thunder continued its ruckus as the princess carefully removed herself from the bed. After accomplishing her task, Elsa just stood in place. She still had not settled on an activity to do. It was too dark and loud to practice any of the activities she would normally do when time would allow; read a good book, paint a scene, study some texts, or watch nature bloom.

Even her nightly garden walk was clearly unacceptable on this night and the storm did not hesitate in reminding Elsa of the fact.

But she was not too worried about her predicament. Even in the pitch blackness, she closed her eyes. The noise easily parted any coherent thought within her head as she simply felt.

The tremble of the floor, the chilly bite in the air, and the splattering of rain on glass was clear to her. The chaos had a raw beauty to it. How Elsa wished that she could view it better, but the blackness remained as she opened her eyes.

Her feet did not sway or shuffle as she made her way to her bedside desk. It was pure muscle memory that had her kneel, turn the key, and open the drawer with such smoothness. Even with the length of time since her last visit, her hands were sure and steady.

The silk of the gloves brushed over the palm of her hands as she slid them on. The texture of the small pouch was vague, but its shape was enough for her to visualize it. But as she picked it up, a _clink_ sounded. It sounded in a place it should not have.

She froze. The rest of the world was thrashed by the storm, but Elsa stood absolutely still.

_It can't be…_

Settling the pouch down again, she tentatively brush the bottom of the drawer. Even with the gloves muting her touch, she knew the drawer by memory. The pouch was pushed to the upper left side and the rose mirror was just touching the lower right side of the drawer. Her gloves were folded up next to the pouch before she had picked them up. The pouch must have brushed against the bottom of the drawer to hit something else.

But, there wasn't anything else. There should not be anything else in this drawer.

_It can't be, it can't be, it can't be…_

But another, more rational side of her mind knew. It had heard that tell-tale sound before.

_It can._

Lightning decided to dispel any remaining doubt by reappearing once again. The white light brought a glimpse of red to the ice-blue eyes before the darkness could descend.

_Oh, yes it can._

With trembling and weak fingers, she ever so gently stretched her hands and brushed them against the bottom of the right side of the drawer. Smooth bumps made contact with the gloves. Even now, Elsa could feel their heat.

Her hands shook tenfold as she picked up two little, warm objects and set them into the palm of her left hand. For long moments, she did not dare to flex a muscle. And in those long moments, lightning reappeared several more times as to mock the young princess. To deny her the chance of ignorance because Elsa knew what she held in her hand.

But habits never died easily. So, on instinct, Elsa stretched out her free hand and began to count.

She brushed her fingers over the outside of the pouch.

_One, two in the pouch…_

She moved her fingers over her own palm.

_One, two in my hand… _

_She guided her fingers over the rose mirror._

_And one, two, three still on the rose… makes seven…All here._

Still slow and trembling, Elsa carefully retook the pouch within her free hand and untied it. Now, the two new ruby petals slid delicately into their new home and settled with a slightly louder _clink._

The rest of her routine was dull in her mind as muscle memory took over. Setting the pouch down, folding the gloves, and turning the key all came second nature to Elsa. The comfort of repetition steadied her hands slightly.

Instead, her legs were shaking as she stood up with haste. Her mind swam. She needed light, she needed it. She needed it now!

As she stood, another flash of lightning revealed an answer. Lurching forward, she grasped at the matchbox and hastily removed one of its precious cargo. A strike against the box and a spark broke the gloom.

A faint lick of flame danced on the stick before it was moved onto a steadier stage.

Finally being provided a steady source of light, Elsa lit the awaiting candle.

She had no patience. With her haste, she forgot the candle holder and handled the candle with bare hands against bare wax.

She turned on her heel and exited her room with the storm thundering just beyond.

Brushing past empty corridors and dark corners, Elsa knew where to go. She did not think of the late hour or of her state of dress. Those were unimportant. What was important was that she had to look again. All the while, a single thought circled her head.

_A petal per secret…A petal per secret…A petal per secret._

Stuck in her feverish mind, Elsa was nearly unaware of her surroundings until she collided with something and stumbled back. A dull pain warmed her shoulder as she regained her nearly loss balance. She raised her candle to see what she had hit.

She cursed her failed focus when she saw that she hit her shoulder on the threshold of a door. The insult stuttered into silence as she realized where she was.

The Queen's study. Her mother's study. Exactly where she needed to be.

Fumbling with the collar of her night gown, she withdrew a string. The three keys attached to the course twine jingled and sparkled in the candlelight. One of the keys was smaller yet shined brighter than the other larger and slightly rusted ones. Two door keys and a drawer key.

She barely glanced at the trio before choosing one of the door keys.

Before long, a soft _clunk _resounded within the lock before Elsa pushed open the door. Taking the light with her, the corridor was plunged into darkness as the study was beginning to light up with the candle's movement.

Taking great care as to lock the door, she turned towards the room.

A faint sense of déjà vu settled in Elsa's fingers as she recalled all of the times she had visited this place. She had already admitted to herself that she was more obsessed and determined to find what laid in her mother's study than she did with her father's. Though Sven had given her the key merely two month ago, Elsa knew everything nook and cranny that laid within the room.

Including a secret beyond imagining.

Focusing herself, Elsa removed a forgotten candle from its holder and set her lit candle onto it. Striding to the wall opposite of the door, she did not hesitate to remove the painting that hung on the wall. With a little strain, the painted woman in steel armor was set aside.

Rather than an empty wall that should have been behind the painting, a dark hole in the shape of a square was cut out. A corridor stretched beyond the hole. Retreating to get the candle, Elsa carefully crouched and dragged herself through the small threshold.

Passing through, Elsa stood again and walked along the slowly silencing darkness. After a few seconds, the storm's clamor was muted to Elsa, but she continued on. She did not stop until her footstep fell on something that was not stone. It jingled.

She slightly paused at the sound before continuing on.

Barely pausing to glance at the sparkles that now littered the walls and floor, Elsa began passing by tall shelves made from the deep groves carved into the stone walls.

Shelves filled to the brim with gold and silver.

Old, torn bags and open boxes with their riches were settled with care upon the shelves. The coins greedily captured the candlelight and glinted for attention. A stray golden statue or a jeweled necklace would arise on a random shelf, but the shelves' main occupant was the countless quantity of coins. In two footsteps, Elsa passed enough wealth to feed a commoner's family of five for life. In ten footsteps, she passed enough wealth for that family to buy itself a castle and the staff to attend it. In fifteen footsteps, the family could buy itself a kingdom.

But Elsa did not spare any of the glittering coins a glance from her icy eyes.

At the very back of the hall of coins, a battered desk sat in the darkness. The wooden stool next to the desk was just as scrawny and battered looking as the desk. Strangely, two of the drawers on the desk looked pristine and still gleamed with old polish. A nearby, rusty candleholder was filled with three, aging wax candles that she set alight with her own. Setting her own candle down, Elsa got to work.

She opened the pristine drawer to her left, withdrew a particular stack of envelopes and looked at them. There were twenty-five of them, a few open and several unopened, but Elsa counted them again to be sure.

_All of them are here._

Settling into the stool, she carefully examined the outside of the missives.

Each one had the seal of the treasurer of Arendelle. All of the seals appeared to have been done at different time periods, considering the severe aging that several had versus a few fresher looking seals. Some waxes crumbled at her touch while others still retained their strength.

After looking at one of the newer letters that was still sealed, she broke of the wax and read what it contained.

This action repeated with all of the letters, sealed or opened. She remembered a previous visit to the hall and when she last seen the peculiar stack of papers. She had believed that all of the letters were of the same topic of commerce and trade, and were not worth the trouble of reading through. She knew of these topics from her texts.

Now, she refused to be distracted as her belief was assured.

Each and every one of the letters was from Edward D'Aez, the current treasurer of Arendelle. And each was of the same issue: gold was being stolen from the royal vault. Each letter had stated differing amounts of the stolen gold, but each was rather large. The dates ranged from thirty to fifteen years ago. The latest of the letters was just three months before her parents met the Enchantress's wrath.

Lastly, each of the letters was addressed to her father. Not the Queen, but the King. The Queen had the King's letters. They were intercepted and locked away to never see the light of day.

Until now.

Before long, all of the letters were read through. With swirling thoughts and straining eyes, Elsa pressed her feverish head against the cold wood. It helped, but by a little.

After a long while, a somewhat coherent voice came from the chaos of Elsa's mind. It was a whisper.

_Mother was greedy, Father was horrendous, and my advisors are no better than sloths. What would a letter do? All of them were wasted paper and ink that now rots in a cave… _

With firm hands, Elsa pushed herself onto her feet as the voice steadily grew louder.

_Murderers, liars, and sloths. Oh my. Surrounded by cretins._

With focused eyes, she packed all the letters away.

_They can't be trusted. They will ruin everything with a flick of their wrists._

With an even breath, she blew out the flames on the old candles while grabbing hold of her own.

_My home is filled with weakness and decay._

With sure feet, she turned from the battered desk and stool. Now, the voice had an iron resolve to its timbre.

_But it has gone on long enough._

With a steady mind, she strode out pass the gold-lined walls and crawled out of the entrance.

_I will not be my mother or father._

Faintly brushing off her nightgown, she grabbed hold of the painting and heaved it back into place.

_I won't allow myself to be them._

Grabbing the candle once more, she barely felt the wax that ran down from the heat.

_I will be stronger, tougher, smarter._

Hearing the soft _clunk _of a locking door, she stowed away her necklace of keys and turned away from the door.

_I will make my home stronger, tougher and smarter with me._

Striding away with squared shoulders and a steely gaze, she had one thought that echoed with the thundering storm. Now, the voice was a command.

_By the blood in my veins and the ice in my heart, I will set things right._

* * *

**AN: Dun, Dun, DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNN! Yep, she's growing in some teeth to her. Let's find out what she'll do with them. But that will be on next Thursday.**

**Oh, and with the semester nearly over for me, I'll be free! Just have to get through my Chemistry final. *Groans* The bane of my existence… Maybe after that, I could work on more than one story at a time, but I'll see. **

**As always: comments, concerns, and ****informed**** critiques are forever welcomed in the reviews. I love each and every one of them that you guys give me.**

**So, until next time, Au revoir.**


	9. Crazy Trust

**Hello, beautiful world and all who inhabit it.**

**Another week, another chapter. I don't really have much to say. Summer's been pretty boring for me. I'm just here typing along my keyboard and whatnot.**

**So, without further ado, Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Own nothing of Disney or Frozen in any way, shape, or form. **

* * *

Chapter 9: Crazy Trust

The cool breeze rushed over the cooler ground as it was churned from its original resting place. A shoe of iron dug into the cold earth and easily threw fragments of the cold dirt into the air. As the force of nature continue to run its course, more sprays of dirt met the sky as the iron shoes gripped and tore at the ground it stood upon.

It was an iron horseshoe.

In the early morning silence that encompassed the area, deep and soft collisions disturbed the air with each time the shoe fell. The hooves within the iron shoes were steady and strong, but not insensitive. Whomever had placed the iron shoes upon their current wearer were careful to avoid the more sensitive flesh of the equine.

The horse in question now slowed its steady gallop into a mild trot. The dark stockings on its powerful legs easily blended into the dark forest air while its honey-like coat glowed in the dim lighting. The Fjord horse's power was defined in its supple muscles and the glowing spark in its intelligent eyes. A beautiful specimen that came as a beautiful gift that was beautifully taken care of.

_Whomever they are, their pay should be doubled for taking such good care of Sitron._

The brief thought was whisked away with the wind as Elsa pushed her steed to climb higher and higher. Her mind numbed and her senses heightened as she became deeper entangled with the wilderness that surrounded her. But she was neither deterred nor frightened.

Elsa had long ago lost her fear of shadows as she rode on one of the main trails. She had removed her sleepwear hours ago in exchange for the more suitable riding attire that clung to her frame. She knew that she needed an escape from the constricting walls of her home. She needed to leave behind all of those letters and crushing gold coins. She needed to leave the choking shadows before she had the chance to break down the walls in her desperation.

Sometimes, the walls were too much of a strain for even the young princess to maintain.

So, she rode on.

Controlling the beast with nothing more that her bare hands and guiding knees, they trotted into the early morning fog. With the mist dulling the senses of whomever had entered into their reach, Elsa was extra careful to keep watch of the trail. The storm had trashed and knocked her kingdom around harshly during its brief reign.

With her brief pass through the town, her wandering gaze briefly focused on damaged structures and soaking lands. The creeping chill, the clinging fog, and the suffocating mud all yelled to the deaf princess to stay at her warm home with comforting robes and tasty food. Not in the middle of a forest with the rest of the gloom that stubbornly clung to the earth.

Her keen eyesight was focused on the trail with such intensity, she had noticed the slightly lower shrubs that suddenly lined the main trail. A light of recognition flickered within her icy eyes as she led the equine past the shorter hedges and off of the trail. A smaller yet relatively safe path stretched out beyond this point. The muscle memory of both the equine and the human came into play as they easily strode over the loose stones and stepped around ensnaring brambles. It was not difficult for either the horse or the girl as the path was relatively straight as it was narrow. However, the slower pace led to a longer time in reaching the end to the path and what laid at the end.

But this did not bother Elsa in the slightest as she allowed Sitron to carry her up the path as her mind wandered yet again. Though, she often wished that her brain would quit the annoying habit, it did so anyway.

However, her thoughts turned towards more favorable topics as specific steps and forms took shape within her mind's eyes. She paid attention to the angles of the shapes with the obsession that a jailed man would look at the key that held their freedom. Again and again, the shapes would twirl, spin, and contort until the very twitches of movement could be predicted within a moment's notice. Their graceful transitions were so fluid that it could be mistaken as a dance routine.

In a way, it was a dance. Just not one for the ballroom.

A small _hmm_ escaped Elsa as she closed her eyes with content. In this way, she could better see the forms as she gave her trust into the steady horse that stepped through the undergrowth.

She has learned that she can trust others. Slowly, but surely, Elsa has learned. She can trust Sitron. She can trust the rose mirror. She can trust the seasons. She can trust Anton, the physician. Gerda. Kristoff. Sven. And most importantly, herself.

Teaching herself to trust herself was the most difficult of them all, but Elsa tries. And it does not hurt to have help with it. Especially today, that help will be needed.

A heavy snort followed by an animalistic call from farther ahead cuts off her musing. Her lips stretch into a small grin.

_Speak of the Devil…and ye shall receive…_

Opening her eyes, Elsa takes in the view.

A large clearing filled with ankle-high grass glittered in the morning's approaching light. Dew sparkled upon the ground similar to the diamonds on the rose mirror. A group of tall pine trees stood like silent sentinels upon the peaceful clearing and those who stood within it.

For now, the only ones who stood within the peaceful circle were Elsa, Sitron, and a grazing reindeer.

"Good morning, Kristoff."

The approach of the large deer was muffled by the softened ground as was Elsa's own _thump_ as she neatly jumped off of her steed. The two friends met in a warm hug that nearly made them forget about the chilly air that surrounded them. With Elsa's arms wrapped around a sturdy neck as the sturdy neck wrapped around the young blonde's shoulders, both parties gave a slight smile.

When they parted, Elsa could not help but notice how short Kristoff was getting. Her mind mused on how gigantic the reindeer appeared during their first meeting after the Enchantress's arrival. She knew that Kristoff could only grow taller after that, yet Elsa was already taller than his head and just under the tallest point of his antlers.

Her musing is cut off again with a slight nudge and a questioning look.

Throughout the years, she had learned to communicate with Kristoff without Sven's assistance. It took many trials and errors on both of their parts, but the end result was a near-perfect translation of Kristoff's question: What are you doing here?

"Yes, I am early. But I have a reason to be missing my sleep."

A snort and a heavy shake of his antlers conveyed his disapproval.

"It's an important reason to me. I need you and Sven to do something for me," Elsa only slightly hesitated with her words. "Neither of you may like it, but I truly need your help."

An intrigued, furry brow rises at Elsa as his ears swivel to her direction.

"I would rather wait for Sven to arrive. I don't want to repeat it twice." She didn't even want to say what was on her mind, but it was a necessity. The future looked colder and bleaker by the day, and she needed them. Both of them.

As if answering a call, a form began to take shape in the fog. As it grew closer, Elsa knew who was coming before the fog finally cleared up enough to show Sven's approach. His gentle smile was already plastered on his face, and at that sight, a twinge of guilt swam through her. She hated that she would be the reason that the kind smile would soon be disappearing.

Before either of them could greet each other, Kristoff snorted loudly, grabbing both of their attentions. The series of grunts, snorts, and calls coming from Kristoff's throat were normally gibberish to anyone else, but Sven. Only a few moments had passed before Sven too had the curiously intrigue look on his face.

"You do know that practice does not start for another hour." Elsa doesn't bother replying to it as it's clearly not a question.

"I need to ask of you something. Both of you." With both men clearly interested and listening, she turns around and walks to one of the bordering pine trees. At its trunk, a large, leather bag was laid there, securely wrapped in leather bindings. With a few well-placed tugs, the bindings come loose and revealed their package.

The glint of steel brought a slight vertigo to the young princess. The same glint came off of many swords and daggers in Elsa's memory. Some in particular come from the broadswords that still hung on display around the castle. Combining that glinting reality with the tales of humble knights and dancing dragons, and a child's dream in sword fighting was born.

The child's dream remained as a dream until just recently, and all thanks to Sven and Kristoff.

_They have given me so much… My selfishness will not go any farther than this._

Withdrawing the two blunted swords with care, she returned to the visibly confused duo.

"Think of this as a crazy, trust exercise." Well, there were worse ways to start off a conversation.

"Crazy, trust exercise?" Sven's echo was punctuated with a soft huff from Kristoff.

"Yes. I want to trust something very important to you two, but I would like to have you two to trust something with me in return," Elsa paused to take a steadying breath. "To determine who goes first, we will duel. The loser must give their trust first to the winner."

"Elsa…" She cuts off Sven reply as she places the larger sword into his hands.

"It's nothing too serious," her little lie slips out with ease. "I just need to know if I have chosen the right people for what I have in mind."

She turns around to get into a respectable distance away from the now-armed man. Elsa checks her face subtly for any signs of faults or weaknesses in it. However, her mask is as perfect as her parents' own had been. A fact that makes bile rise into the back of her throat.

Turning back towards the two, Elsa could tell that they are both wary of the suddenness of her actions. However, Kristoff does move to the side as Sven takes his stance. The actions of the two send a warm feeling into her chest. Knowing that the two cousins trusted her enough to speak the truth made the feeling warm her as well as singe her a bit.

"Best two out of three?" Sven's playful words acted as a balm to the burn of her earlier actions. Whether or not she won, she would at least try to enjoy the mock fight as she had done for all her previous ones.

"As always."

And with that, the two clash swords.

Months of dedicated training were shown in her technique as clearly as the years of experience were shown through Sven's technique. What Elsa lacked in strength and experience, she made up for in speed and wit. The swords only struck at each other for several moments before Elsa used her speed to out-maneuver and disarm Sven.

_Check._

Sven's face looked equal parts proud and worried. Although her face did not betray her, Elsa's actions were as tense and as choppy as a cornered deer. Though he did not say a word as he retrieved his sword and stood at the ready. Elsa also took up her stance.

A moment of silence descended before the two blunted swords clashed again. However, Elsa's rigidness had not left her as her foot work became more mechanical than her usual fluid waltz. This allowed Sven room to unbalance and disarm the predictable blonde.

As she laid upon the dew-covered grass, Sven stayed silent and gently tapped his sword on Elsa's riding boots; a sign of how she must improve. She nodded back and stood up to retrieve her own sword. When she had done that, she forced her body to relax as she got back into her stance.

Another silent lull was heard before the swords clashed for the final time. In reality, they only really clash once. Instead of facing head-on, Elsa cleverly ducked before the swords could initially clash and performed a strong uppercut that sent shockwaves up both Sven's and her own arms. Sven's sword landed with a _thud_ in the grass, and Elsa could not contain her smile.

_Check and mate._

Kristoff's snort of amusement sounded loud and clearly poking fun at the defeated knight. A good-natured grumble came from Sven as he began chasing after his bumbling reindeer cousin for whatever insult he had apparently said. Elsa watched for a moment before picking up both swords and returning them into the bag and securing the ties.

The thumping of multiple hooves made her turn around and see that Kristoff was leading Sitron over to Elsa as they seemed to take her cleaning up as a cue to leave. As she was about to protest, Kristoff gently nudged her arm as Sven spoke while handing out some leather bindings.

"We remember, Elsa. Let's just make sure Sitron here doesn't get eaten by bears as we have this important trust exercise." A huff from Kristoff corrected him as Elsa explained.

"Kristoff's right. It's really is more of a crazy, trust exercise, but I'm glad that you're both willing to hear me out." Clearing her throat hesitantly, she took the bindings and tied Sitron to the edge of the clearing as to always keep him in sight.

Turning back to the clearing, Sven had already lied down a little ways away from the area of grass that was stomped down due to their duel. Even from where she stood, Elsa could hear the loud crunching of a carrot. But Kristoff stayed by Elsa's side as they walked over to the prone knight lying on his side in the grass.

After hesitating some more, a soft _thump _was all that was heard as Kristoff ungracefully slouched into a position similar to Sven's with his hooves on his chest and lying on his side. The remainder of the orange vegetable was quickly slurped down Kristoff's own throat before Sven could protest. The uncanny appearance of the two cousins never failed to make Elsa smile.

It was during these moments that she wondered how Sven would look like as a reindeer.

A small gurgling huff sounded from Kristoff as Sven translated.

"Alright, we lost fairly to you, Warrior Princess. What would you like to know?"

The playfulness and bluntness of the statement help to clear the remaining traces of hesitance as she asked the questions that would hopefully banish the remaining doubts within her own mind. She carefully sat herself next to Kristoff and laid back against his shoulder as she asked the first and the worst question.

"Do you… remember the day that you were taken from Corona?"

Elsa did not look either of them in the eyes as a heaviness fell around them. She could almost feel their memories racing back to that day. Her icy eyes were firmly fixed on the glowing horizon as she felt Kristoff nod against her. She nodded in acceptance of the answer.

"Why are you both called 'of Crystal Bay' when you two were not born there?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Sven and Kristoff look surprised and confused at the question.

"We were orphans. There was nothing back there for us, yet slavery is not a widely held or highly thought of custom in Arendelle. Gerda was made into a servant of the King's castle, but we were useless boys. It was in the town of Crystal Bay that the head of House Oaken offered to raise us as his wards. He raised us next to his own sons, and later on, he knighted us for our efforts against the pirates that often attack the town. We took the name of the town as our own."

A brief flash lit up Elsa's mind at the name of the famous house. As one of the most faithful houses to the throne, House Oaken was well known from their strong warriors and an iron-strong code of honor.

"Why did my Father send for you to return from Crystal Bay?" At this, Kristoff responded with a shake of his head as Sven explained.

"It was the Queen that sent for us. She hired us fairly from House Oaken and requested us for our fighting reputation," Sven paused in thought. "It was around the time that you were born."

At that, a small thought bloomed in the back of Elsa's mind. Echoing around the two cousins' words and Gerda's own monologue, the idea was so sweet that it burned.

_M-Mother brought you two from Crystal Bay to protect me._

Turning her head away and breathing deeply, she swallowed the few tears that had unexpectedly threatened to spring loose. It took a few minutes to combat them, but neither of her company dared to ask what was on her mind. The only thing she felt was the warmth of Kristoff's shoulder against her own.

Swallowing again, she just had one more question to ask.

"Do you think that you have changed for the better?" It was nothing more than a whisper as she fought to control her voice.

At this, both of them wore expressions of pure confusion. They turned their gazes to each other in silent conversation, and then returned their stares to her. But the two's expressions turned to disappointed confusion as Elsa quickly dismiss it. Meanwhile, her mind was several years back, looking at a cold-hearted berserker and a reclusive knight who opened a great door to a winter storm.

_That will be the best that I can get. They don't need to see what I see. To see how much more human Kristoff is as a reindeer, or how much more talkative and open Sven is as a man. The Enchantress's visit had changed them, but they don't need to know. If they do, they will criticize of that which I love about them._

Taking another breath to steady herself, she breathed out her apology.

"Thank you for being honest with me and I'm sorry for being so secretive about this. I promise to explain myself better soon."

Elsa would not have been surprised if they had been angry at her weakness, but she was surprised that they were not. Instead, an unspoken agreement was made to remain at the clearing to watch the sunrise. As the colors danced and skipped among the clouds, Elsa's thoughts were stuck in her own head.

_They will be perfect. Sven and Kristoff know me better than I know myself, and that is perfect._

She laid a bare hand upon her chest to feel the thuds of her own rapidly beating heart. The heart that she was killing ever so slowly. The heart that needed to die.

_Monarchs with emotions just cause a world of agony to everyone and anyone involved. I need to avoid those same mistakes. I may never be the Warrior Princess, but I must be the Snow Princess. I must be numb to my heart or I will crumble like Mother and Father._

Clenching her hand into a fist, she vowed.

_Yes, the Snow Princess. I can only thaw with the ones I trust most in the world. But to the rest, I will be cold and clear. I must be a Snow Princess. And for that, my heart must be hidden away by the crazy trust of my family. My new family._

* * *

**AN. Yeah, I wasn't really feeling it with this chapter, but I gave it my best. It just goes deeper into the fact that Elsa's preparing herself for the hell of politics that she will soon have to clean up from her parents.**

**But yeah. It's a chapter that feels weird to me. The part I like the most was with the mock duel between Elsa and Sven. It was my first time doing anything like that. The sword feels so awesome to write about. I wonder what else Elsa might be dabbling into. ;) **

**As always: comments, concerns, and ****informed**** critiques are forever welcomed in the reviews. I love each and every one of them that you guys give me. Oh, and welcome to the party, **_**Zobek. **_**I hope you've continue to enjoy this so far.**

**So, until next time, Au revoir.**


	10. Adding Another

**I can see clearly now the rain is gone. I can see all the obstacles in my way.**

**It's not raining anymore. Yay! But it's another week, so another chapter is posted for any to read. And we're already at chapter number 10. **

**W! O! W! Am I right?**

**So, without further do, Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything.**

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Chapter 10: Adding Another

Ice blue eyes watched from their resting place as the setting sun casted its last golden rays upon the earth. Those eyes hungrily devoured the array of colors and shadows that danced upon the land. The blue hue glowed from an extraordinarily, lovely face; set just under a proud forehead and just above a button-like nose. The pale skin was bathed in light as the last rays of warmth crawled steadily away.

The ever-changing dance of darkness and light made the sunset and the sunrise her favorite times of the day. The blending hues always mocked her attempts at recreating the spectacle upon a canvas. But, she had learned long ago that the wonder was not meant to be sullied. It was to be admired. And so, she sat and admired.

_Tap, tap, tap, tap…_

Elegant, gloved fingers were interlocked with one another. The white leather had obviously been made from an expert as it had been painstakingly embroidered. She loved to play with the fabric and try to distinguish the white silk of the sown-in snowflakes from the white leather.

_Tick, tock, tick, tock…_

Her strong back stood straight as she sat upon the room's sole window seat. The golden light spilled through the window and encompassed her as she gazed at the world.

_Tap, tap, tap, tap…_

Her white-blonde hair was now a chameleon of colors. A halo of oranges, golds, and reds of all different shades were now laced into the lush locks that were pulled into a braid.

_Tick, tock, tick, tock…_

Her clothed feet continued their noise making.

_Tap, tap, tap, tap…_

Each _tick _and _tock_ of the clock was always answered with a _tap_. The little habit had sprung up more from the fact that she was an only child rather than anything else. Though it started out as a simple child's game, it now served greatly in making tedious meetings with her advisors more bearable.

With another meeting about to start, muscle memory took over. But this meeting was unlike most that she was subjected to in her life. This time, she would only meet with one.

Elsa almost smiled at her own wit. Putting this meeting together had taken Gerda's knowledge of the servants, Sven's and Kristoff's muscle, and Anton's medical records. Even now, she silently thanked each one of her family members for this meeting was a mere fraction of the possibilities that they could accomplish together.

Of course, she didn't smile. Not even a twitch of her lips. She did not even have to see her reflection to know. The last three years were spent very wisely. Becoming more and more of the Queen she had to be, over three years were spent on changing a temperamental girl into a steady-minded intellectual. At the age of nineteen, time had treated and aged her well.

Before Elsa could go down another trail of thought, a harsh knock rapped on the room's closed door. Her expression was already schooled into a regal mask as she bid whoever was beyond the door to enter. Glacial eyes locked onto the Royal Treasurer of Arendelle as he was escorted through the threshold by a familiar duo.

Edward D'Aez was one of her older advisors and a rather lean man, almost to the point of unhealthy. He wasn't a very tall man, either. But he had a wiry strength to him, as proved by the fairly fresh memory of his handshake from a previous encounter with the man. This time, the man bowed deeply as Kristoff and Sven back out of the room to stand guard at the door. Just as she had previously asked of them.

Whether he knew it or not, Edward D'Aez was not going to leave the room before Elsa was through with him. And there was much to discuss.

She stared at the older gentleman briefly before standing from her window seat and speaking, "Please, sit."

Her hand waved towards the large, mahogany work desk. The two leather chairs next to it were seated on the same side and were turned slightly towards one another. The desk's wooden surface sat uncharacteristically clean of any sort of parchment or work. All that laid there was a covered plate.

Wordlessly, D'Aez stood by his chair until Elsa had taken her own seat, only then did he sit himself. Another short silence echoed through the room before Elsa spoke again.

"I am grateful that you were able to respond to my invitation so quickly, Monsieur D'Aez. I truly hope there was no inconveniences to you."

The surprise was faint on the man's face. He must have registered the use of the old title. Nevertheless, he muted his features into a show of loyalty and obedience as he shook his head to reply.

"That is good. I hope you don't mind if I monologue for a while. There is much that I need to tell you and I would like for both of us to be on the same page on the matter."

A surge of curiosity and diligence lit the man's green eyes as he nodded once again. It was a good thing that his eyes were so expressive. It made it easier to guess at what to say next.

"In the past several months, I've taken a serious approach onto my studies of my future ruling over the kingdom. Thought my own coronation will not be due in another three years, I need to know certain… aspects of my kingdom." She paused for a moment before continuing, "Certain aspects that the old King and Queen seemed to overlook. And I think that you can help me with that effort."

D'Aez's green eyes followed the movement of the pristine gloved hand as it reached over and lifted the covering from the plate. On the glittering plate was not any sort of food. Sitting innocently on the plate, there was a crow's feather, an inkwell, a matchbox, and a clean piece of parchment.

The silence was longer than the last until Elsa continued her speech.

"At first, I was more concerned of the castle itself rather than the people within for a longer time than I'd like to admit. I was more scared than I'd like to admit." She breathe deeply, "As I grew older and more knowledgeable, I knew that my particular line of thinking had to change. It is the people within the castle who can truly apply strength onto these old stones. So, I started looking about and studying. I studied the maids that light the hearths, the soldiers that defend the walls, the chef that cooks the food, the stewards that walk the halls, et cetera, et cetera."

Her mind was tempted to sink into old memories of old discoveries, but Elsa fought the urge and continued.

"It was fun. To learn the lives of others. Over time, it became a sort of hobby for me. My fun grew to the point in where I began to expand and study the people within our own town. The bakers, the tailors, the farmers, and everyone else in between. I learned their names, possessions, income, and all that fun stuff."

Elsa allowed a moment to check her voice before adding, "But learning about their history was my favorite part. And from what I've learned, your particular history is very useful to what I have in mind."

Elsa carefully watched the man before her. D'Aez did not dare to move as his breaths came carefully controlled and even. She now spoke quickly to alleviate the tension leaking from the man. She needed his assistance, not his fear.

"Monsieur D'Aez, I promise you that my reasons are pure and will not sully any of your hard-earned status. But I will need to show you something that will required complete discretion on your part." A careful smile was painted on her face to hopefully ease the stress away faster.

Without warning, she stood from her own chair and reached out a gloved hand to take the small matchbox. Then, reached out her free hand to the man. D'Aez immediately stood up, and cautiously took ahold of the princess's hand. Elsa knew that the man's curiosity was warring with his hard-learned discipline, but she still had plenty to explain.

Guiding the man towards the only painting hanging off the wall, they both stood in silence as their gazes were drawn upon the canvas. An armor-clad woman was astride a magnificent white stallion with a long sword in one hand and a steel shield in the other. With her face painted with steely determination, the woman gave off a strong sense of leadership and hidden prowess.

It was Elsa's favorite painting.

"As much as everyone thinks that I am attached to my dear parents, there is a more important reason that I chose the Queen's study over the King's. One that most people don't know. Only myself... and now you."

She released D'Aez's hand and made sure that the matchbox was safely tucked away into a pocket sown into the dress. Then, she stepped up and removed the large painting from the wall. A ghost of a smirk quirk her lips upward at the ease of the action.

_Repetition truly does create perfection._

She felt more than saw D'Aez fidget uncomfortably at the urge to help the princess with the obviously heavy painting. She also felt when the fidgeting man stilled in shock as she focused on setting the painting on the floor. Looking up, her feelings were confirmed. The man was staring incredulously at the entrance way that was previously hidden. She allowed the man a moment to stare for it was a rather odd sight to see; a small door with a small keyhole that was inserted into the middle of a wall.

When she spoke again, D'Aez jumped out of his stupor to listen. "Yes, I believe that I had that same look on my face when I first found this little treasure about…oh, three years ago."

_With some slight modifications on my part. The stonemasons, the locksmith, and the carpenter were worth every cent._

The questioning look sent her way was quickly masked over, but Elsa had already seen it.

"Yes, Monsieur D'Aez. I had the key to my Mother's old study for quite a long time. And with that time, I was able to learn and do many things. And now, I need your help to learn the rest of it." Turning around, she strode to the pair of chairs that were next to the desk and picked up her own. Striding back with her cargo, she set the chair underneath the entrance way.

Allowing her gloves to graze her neck, she pulled out a familiar necklace. The old twine was still strong and the jingling keys still sparkled in the sun's last rays. However, the necklace was heavier with the addition of another key. The new key had the structure of the large door keys, yet it was just slightly larger than the dainty drawer key that it jingled next to.

Carefully climbing onto the chair, she took ahold of the newest key and inserted it into the lock. The mechanism's well-oiled gears turned soundlessly and the door swung open. As soundless as the gears, Elsa hiked up her dress and bowed her head as she stepped through the opening. Her shoes easily found the sturdy stone steps that were on the other side and carefully stepped down onto the cold stones.

"You should not have any trouble, Monsieur D'Aez. I will be here to help."

The silence was broken by the echo of movement. With her eyes trained on the elevated doorway, she saw an expensively-made shoe stretch through the opening and was about to misstep. Gently setting her hand to the ankle, the entire leg froze.

"You're about to trip. The step is closer to the wall." Taking heed of her advice, the shoe now inched closer until it touch the elevated cobblestone. Elsa was then able to step back and turn towards the wall that had a lantern hung by a hook. She took a match from the box and struck it against the wall. With the splinter of wood aflame, she opened the lantern and lit the oil wick within.

Its flickering glow caught and reflected off of the awed expression on D'Aez's face, the rough stone walls, the newer cobblestone steps, and her own glacial blue eyes. Taking the lantern in one hand, she allowed the other to reach out towards the stunned man. A slight touch to the shoulder was all that was needed to grasp the man away from his stupor.

With her hand outstretch, D'Aez automatically grasped it and allowed himself to be led along the stone corridor. Throughout the silent hall, Elsa uttered a single phrase.

"Remember, Monsieur D'Aez: complete discretion."

A long silence descended upon the pair. Their walk continued down the stone corridor and pass the piles of coins and priceless valuables that were stacked upon the stony shelves. D'Aez stumbled slightly at the reflected gleam of thousands upon thousands of coins, but caught himself in time with a silent gasp. They continued on until they reached a tattered old work desk and a rickety stool.

"Please, sit."

D'Aez complied in silence. In turn, Elsa set the lantern upon another hook and used the remaining matches to light the numerous candles that were littered across the desk's surface. With every new candle lit, the glittering of the coins grew more and more intense. While Elsa easily ignored them, D'Aez's eyes flickered every once in a while. Her eyes remained focused on her task as she spoke again.

"It is impressive. I remember having that same look on my own face when I first found this place." Pausing to light a particularly stubborn wick, she continued. "There were bags and boxes filled entirely with those gold coins. Honestly, it was a mess. Many of the bags were ripped and the coins had spilled onto the ground. I remember stepping on many of them during my first few trips. I soon got tired of the mess and began stacking up the coins. It took a long time and many visits to finish it, but I did."

Finally finished with the candles, she blew out the match and made sure it was completely out before carefully returning the burnt stick into the box. Storing the box of matches, she opened one of the drawers and withdrew a packet of letters bound in twine.

"I believe that these belong to you." Handing the bound package to the silent man, she was careful to note the expressions of realization and surprise.

"You see… when I first found and understood this place, I was angry with you. I had thought many ugly things to myself. How could such a lazy man not advise his king? How could someone lose that much money and still be a part of the King's inner circle? Why were only useless letters that were so easily intercepted sent instead of true advisement? Oh, I was furious."

Elsa's gaze was completely locked onto the man's own still frame as she continued with a steely voice. "I wanted you gone from my home the moment I realized such laziness was so close to me. I will admit in searching for ways to get rid of you. But in my search, I learned about you."

She allowed her eyes to soften. "I learned about your previous employment to King Adam. You were one of the best spymasters that the French ever had. And from a fault that was entirely on King Adam's shoulders, you were maimed and banished because you kept Queen Belle from dying… or worse."

She paused again to collect her voice and her thoughts. Her trails of thought traveled back to the old records she read within her own room. Of how the beloved Queen was kidnapped, and a naval battle of the marauders' ship versus the _Saint Esprit _and the _Sceptre _of the French Navy had to take place to get her back. During the struggle, the Queen fell overboard and it was Spymaster D'Aez himself who dove into the waves. The French Navy returned home with their Queen and left the destroyed ship to sink into the waves along with the treacherous crew. Though she was brought to safety, the Queen quickly grew ill from the amount of salt water she had swallowed. King Adam had flown into a rage at his wife's health and gave hell to all involve with her rescue.

Elsa knew that D'Aez was one of the lucky ones. He manage to keep his life in exchange for his titles and lands, his employment, his country, and… parts of himself. King Adam had personally cut and burn the muscles to ashes as the disgraced spymaster bled on the floor. The image was replicated onto the rose mirror that showed her the secret of Monsieur D'Aez. He was forced to be a mute and a eunuch.

Drawing back out of her thought, she saw that the man was also lost within his own mind. She spoke softly now as not to startle the man. "Monsieur D'Aez, I wish to apologize for my misplace temper and suspicion. Though you may not have known it back then, I still had resented you without proper evidence. I hope that you can forgive me, but if not, I will understand. I pro-"

A muscular hand had reached out to grasp at her own gloved fingers. Though the strength was clearly visible, D'Aez had a gentle grip and slowly shook her hand with a message within his eyes.

"_I can."_

Elsa had to swallow hard against the knot in her own throat before she could talk again.

"I-I didn't mean to bring up bad memories for you, but I need your past. I need your help. Despite the circumstances of your life, you have been a loyal and hardworking advisor and treasurer in your own right. I don't want to waste such intellect from a simple thing as a language barrier. I would like to schedule specific sessions between the both of us to better understand each other. Whether through speech, writing, or simple hand gestures, I would like to have conversations with all of my advisors."

A nod was her reply. The look in the green orbs was a rather potent mix of past troubles and new admiration. She had the older gentleman completely focused upon her, and she used that to her advantage.

"Nevertheless, I need your help to solve a mystery with all of this stolen gold. I have had the past three years to count each and every single coin in this hideaway. Using the letters that my mother had collected, I've found out that there is less gold in here than what was stated missing from the vaults. I confess to using some of the coins for my own needs, but there is too much missing. And I know this castle better than anyone else to confidently say that my Mother did not hide it elsewhere." She inhaled deeply. "I need to find out who else has been dipping their hands into the royal vault, for how long, and for what reasons. I would like our sessions to be of both dissolving the language barrier between us and of reporting on your progress."

Since one of her gloved hands was still being held, she used her free hand to point at the still unopened drawer wordlessly. D'Aez released her hand and silently opened the indicated drawer. Within it, there was only a leather-bounded book.

"That is my ledger. I have double checked the numbers and they accurately account for all the coins and other valuables within this corridor. I want you to use this and the money stored here to fund your research into this matter."

With the man still sitting, it was easy to place her hands on the gentleman's shoulders. With a steady gaze, she spoke again with a solemn voice. "Monsieur D'Aez, I need you to understand that the presence of discretion is absolute. I do not have the power to order or perform such investigations on my council. My coronation is too far off and yet too close to risk a potentially scandalous situation. My kingdom has been neglected for far too long, but I can't fix it alone."

With their gazes lock, Elsa allowed a sliver of emotion to pass through her regal veil. Normally, she would automatically refuse to do such a thing, but her scarred heart had a dull feeling that said otherwise. In that sliver, her fear, her anger, her impatience, her empathy, her sorrow, and uncountable more emotions swam in the ice of her eyes for those few moments.

She allowed Monsieur D'Aez to see it all. And he replied. Strong hands settled onto both of her own hands that still rested on the man's shoulders. The green within his eyes seemed to glow with the acceptance of the challenge presented to him.

And within a cold, drafty corridor lost within the stones of a lonely castle, a pact was made. A Queen-to-be and a used-to-be reject had made their plan to begin their kingdom's rise. A broken, old man was given a second chance, one that he will not spoil. And a reserved, young woman had a peculiar thought that continued to echo.

_Perhaps I can add another member to my family._

She openly smiled at the idea.

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**AN: Stage One of Elsa Being Awesome has Commenced… But it's going to be tough road to fix the crumbling kingdom. Still, Elsa's going to be awesome.**

**As always: comments, concerns, and ****informed**** critiques are forever welcomed in the reviews. I love each and every single one of them. **

**It's good to see that you're enjoying the party, **_**Zobek. **_**I hope I've kept you interested and entertained. ****And for **_**Guest **_**and **_**BatteriezNotIncluded, **_**it's sad to say that Anna won't be here for a while. I had planned for her to be here earlier, but a new plot bunny chased away my old one and messed it up. BAD PLOT BUNNY! Anna will be here, but not for a while. And thank you, **_**ShadowWolfBeast. **_**It always brings a smile to my face to know that people are enjoying my weird little tales.**

**So, until next time, Au revoir.**


	11. Reflections

**Good morning, everyone. I hope you all are feeling as awesome as I am right now. Honestly, I didn't know how bad I needed that little break of mine until I had it. But now, I'm recharged and ready to go farther with this little story.**

**So, without further do, Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything.**

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Chapter 11: Reflections

Nothing was working.

No matter what activity she did or how long she it for, it accomplished nothing.

The dull ache never left from her temples. Her usual dainty and silent steps now dragged themselves across the floor. Delicately bare fingers curled and stretched themselves in agitation as flowing locks of hair were now hastily tied into a messy bun. Neither the weight of her eyelids got any lighter nor any heavier.

She was stuck between restlessness and exhaustion.

Sleepless nights were not uncommon to the pacing woman. Whether it be from her increasing quantity of work or the nightmares that clung to her psyche, Elsa knew the night sky just as well as the day. So, over her short life, she studied on the ways to relax herself and to best insure a dreamless sleep. But now, all of her experience in attaining sleep was worthless. Remedies and soothing tonics flickered unimportantly within her mind's eyes and her steps never relented their fast pace.

Even with blurred eyes, the path to her bed, to her window, and back again remained constant.

The dream that had caused this unusual late-time pace flickered in and out of her awareness. Other random ideas, topics, and theories popped in and out, in silent desperation to forget. To continue on that dreaded dream would be a death sentence to whatever peace the night could ever bring. So, she kept her feet's and her mind's pace as constant and as fast as she could attain.

This repetition of action continued on and on. After years of walking along the castle and its gardens, the young woman was granted with an uncanny stamina even with her rather poor athletic lifestyle.

So, she walked left and right. To and fro. The few lit candles caught the woman in their sights as she passed them and painted her shadows onto the walls. Uncaring of time, she continued. Her mind's chaotic rush sorted through her memories, her knowledge, and her fears into one jumbled mess. Yet, Elsa couldn't care less as she delved into her most recent and important event.

A faint quirk to her lips appeared as a rush of memories accompanied her. Containing no hint or mention of her previous dream, she allowed herself to think through her accomplishment within the treasury that occurred only a month before.

Monsieur D'Aez was truly a gifted spymaster, and the years did nothing to hinder his reputable skills. A little over two months had passed before the silent man had come with news with the treasury.

Several meetings had occurred before then and were generally a time that Elsa looked forward to. Between the two of them, they had come relatively far in terms of communication. With Elsa's creativity and the gentleman's approval, certain hand gestures, written symbols, and even eye movements were memorized by the two. Symbolizing different people's names, responses, and general greetings, the two generally had many ideas as to cross the horrid barrier between them.

Elsa herself found the meetings fun as she forced her mind away from trade agreements and proposals to speak with a rather good friend. Yet, after two months, a small letter appeared on her desk that was sealed with an unusual green wax. Confusion drifted in for a moment before a memory of a past session had forced itself into existence. It was settled that the waxes on Monsieur D'Aez's letters had to attain a meaning of some sorts. While being the Treasurer of Arendelle, Monsieur D'Aez frequently sent reports to the group of her parent's advisors running the kingdom and to herself. But only Elsa knew the hidden meaning on its exterior.

Red wax was the usual report of the royal treasury and that D'Aez's investigation continued on. Yellow wax meant that a development within the situation had occurred. On those times, their regular meetings would start with the two of the discussing the evidence found until Elsa was sufficiently appeased. Only then did they continue on with their usual advancements into their private and silent language. After the first sight of change, the pale yellow wax show itself three more times amongst the reports before the colour changed to green. Green wax meant that it was finished.

The small quirk grew more as Elsa remembered her own impatience on waiting for the news and the skill of her secret spymaster.

_D'Aez is truly a skilled spymaster. Poor King Adam lost so much in being a foolish beast._

Their next meeting held no lessons or lighthearted jokes. Instead, the pair of unlikely friends turned into a scheming duo as what Elsa heard on that night had cracked her sheltered heart.

Anton, her physician, was assisting in the pilfering of the royal treasury. A relatively small portion was given to the physician as the rest was safely delivered by him to the house of the External Affairs Advisor Mikael Avestrong.

As the words continued, Elsa's ire grew. And as her thoughts continued, her lips sank into a frown.

Mr. Avestrong had coerced the physician into the bargain under the threat of his granddaughter's health. The guiltless child that she had met before was inflicted since birth with a somewhat rare disorder that left the girl sicker and weaker than many others. The skilled healer had crafted an elixir that helped to boost her resistance to sickness and gave the young girl a normal, playful life. The main ingredient being a rather small flower that grew in the southern Scottish moors.

With the flower's inability to grow so far up north and Avestrong's influence with foreign trades, he could have the rather unimportant import excluded and leave the physician without the precious flower. The image of the sickly, yet bright-hearted girl blinked into being within her head and blinked out just as quick.

Though the discovery was a large step forward, D'Aez was certain that the amount that Avestrong had attained over the years was not equal to the still missing currency. He concluded his report with an assurance on his continued cooperation with the puzzling mystery.

After their meeting, Elsa courteously thanked D'Aez for his services and asked for privacy. She knew that her voice shook as she spoke. She knew that her hand slightly trembled as she clenched her gloved hands together. She knew that her eyes held a cold fire within their icy depths.

She also knew that Monsieur D'Aez saw these imperfections himself, though chose not to question them. He was a very smart man to do so.

Though it would bring nothing but joy to Elsa as to allow herself to strip everything away from the bastard who dared to threatened the humble physician, she knew that she had to resist the temptation. Only just reaching her twentieth year of life, it did not make her the Queen of Arendelle. She did not have the power to truly make that man's life a living hell. But, soon she will.

She only had to wait only a little bit longer.

The lingering proposition before her only made a heavy sigh leak from deep within her.

_Soon. So very soon and still so far away. Where did all the tim- NO! No! No! Think of something else! Anything other th-_

A sharp pain radiated from her left foot and caused her to stumble to the floor. Cursing at her own unawareness, she sat up and hobbled to her bed. Bringing her throbbing foot closer, she experimentally curled her toes slightly. The lingering ache told Elsa of a possible bruise, but nothing serious. A glance revealed no cuts, so she had no need to worry. Perhaps a slight pain in her step, but nothing more.

She aimed a half-hearted glare to the assaulter: her own bedside table. The whole table had moved slightly from its original place and a small bottle filled with a strange liquid remained standing on the table. But the cold hint floated away from her gaze as she sighed. She _did_ want to think of something else, and whatever force that created the damn table obviously heard her. After all this time, she should have known to be more careful with what one does wish for.

Still muttering the many curses that she had learned from Kristoff and Sven, she began to rub her battered toes and allowed her eyes to wander about.

She still didn't feel any better or tired than before. An aching toe wasn't going to help her go to sleep, and she'll be damned to try now. She was many things, but a martyr she was not, and she was not going to put herself through another round with that nightmare. She just could not.

Thankfully, her eyes quickly fastened onto the offending table and dragged her thoughts into a new direction rather quickly. Mostly because of the fact that the table was the same one that housed her precious rose mirror.

Stepping gingerly onto her bruised foot, she settled herself onto the floor. Fishing out her necklace of keys, she took the smallest within her fingers and carefully unlocked the drawer. The lock mechanism squeaked slightly as the gears turned with the movement of the key. Making a mental note to buy oil for the lock for later, she opened the drawer.

The low light of the candles spilled easily into the darkness and reflected upon the objects within. Donning the soft, leather gloves, she ignored the small leather pouch on the left side of the drawer and reached for the mirror resting near the right side.

Gently picking up the artifact, Elsa could not ignore the warmth that flooded her fingers. Even after all the years that she had the mirror in her possession, she couldn't help the awe growing within her heart as her eyes traced its features.

The silver metal always appeared to be freshly polished, though it has never been touched by one. The winding emerald vines never lost their shine as if the dust itself dared not to settle upon the magical artifact. The glass was as crisp and clean at the ever, and clearly reflected the room behind Elsa. And then, there was the small rose made of ruby petals.

Or… what was left of the red flower.

The faint light only caught onto a single red petal, which valiantly clung onto its place. The rest of the rose sat hidden away within the pouch. She no longer needed to open the pouch as she could easily count the six distinct bumps that jutted from the thin fabric.

With the mirror clenched in her hands, she carefully leaned closer. Almost pressing her lips onto the glass surface, she barely had a moment to recognize what she had whispered to the mirror. She only heard her own voice echo the command back.

"Show me the secrets of seven."

The ethereal glow grew from within the mirror as ice-blue eyes remained locked onto the glass. Only when the glow did grow too bright did she blink briefly before returning her gaze to the glass. She knew what she would see. The words themselves had come from her lips through habit alone. Elsa's dependence on the past often sickened her. But here she was, looking back onto something she could never fix.

The first vision was always the clearest of the group: the two boy soldiers that had to don foreign armor for the sake of surviving. Their empty faces were always what unsettled her the most. The vision of the boys faded away to expose the second in the line: the twin burning houses. The flames themselves were unnatural in their movements as they always shaped themselves into a face. The same face. Her late Father's face.

Elsa could never stand to look at this particular vision for long. She briefly turned her eyes away and locked her gaze onto her gloves. The reddish glow soon faded away into blackness. Knowing that she hated this vision as well, she kept her gaze averted. The third vision merely extended upon the last: a group of shadows herding a group of falling stars away. And in the distance, two smaller stars traveled in the opposite direction. No matter how much she tried, she could never bring herself to look at it. She knew that it represented the enslavement of her Mother, Gerda, Sven, and Kristoff to Arendelle. She could never find out who the two other stars represented, but guessed that they must have been other survivors of the tragedy. She often prayed for them that someone could help the duo to reach safety.

Even now, a small prayer left her lips as the blackness reflected onto her glove gave way to a slight flickering of gold. Lifting her gaze, she viewed the fourth vision: the starlit cave. Even though it was one of the cloudier visions, she knew that it was the hidden chamber within her late Mother's study. The halls glittered in gold and silver as a single candle provided light to the scene. And on the old table, a figure was hunched over and looked ready to leave the chamber. But before the figure could turn, the vision faded.

A slight twinge of disappointment always presented itself from this image. Pushing the feeling aside, she looked to the fifth vision: the green-eyed man with no mouth. There was only the face itself. The middle-age man had copper brown hair that nearly fell over an expressive pair of green eyes. The nose was straight and slightly more tan than the rest of the face. Yet there was no mouth. The place where it should be showed no indentation for a mouth, just smooth skin. It was as if it simply didn't exist. Clearly, it was Monsieur D'Aez in his younger years and it showed a part of the horrendous punishment that he had to endure.

The face faded away to make way for the sixth vision: a horde of oily rats. One in particular carried a shiny coin in its jaws. It was one of many that tore apart what it could find and carried it away to the shadows. Elsa's jaws clenched as she huffed. She would make sure that one particular slimy rodent didn't make it out of Arendelle without punishment.

The gloomy settling faded away to expose the last of the seven: a golden bird flying over a vast ocean. The bird itself was literally made of gold as its eyes glittered silver. The ocean was a deep blue shade, the sun shined brightly, and the area was hauntingly empty of any ships or land. Where ever the bird was flying to, it was very far away. Several theories trickled into her head as Elsa watched the last vision. Her ice-colored eyes shifted down to what remained of the small rose, confirming that the last secret belong to the last rose petal.

But she could not figure it out. The bird of gold must be the stolen gold from the treasury, but she could never guess where it was headed. There was nothing for miles except water. Nothing to recognize or to even pay attention to.

And time was running out.

_Tick._

A shiver lanced up her spine at the mere thought of what may come.

_Tock. _

Eleven years of effort only to be stumped on the last.

_Tick._

Every single day counted as the clock never stopped. No matter what illusion she could put on herself, time still went on.

_Tock._

She was careful to take deep breathes as to steady her shaking digits. Waving her hand in front of the mirror, the golden bird and blazing sun flickered out of existence to leave an empty reflection of a white-haired, blue-eyed woman.

_Tick._

It took no time at all to replace the mirror and remove the gloves. She thanked her muscles for memorizing the movements as a yawn threatened to break free from her lips.

_Tock._

After hearing the lock squeak close and tucking the necklace back into its hidden place, her hand reached for the bottle still standing on the table. A slight force was applied to the stopper and without a second thought, three gulps of the liquid went down her throat.

The taste left a lot to be desired, but Elsa knew that it would do its job. The tonic would allow for a relatively sleepless night, so she might as well as salvage as much as she could for the day. Blowing out the candles and plunging the room into darkness, she felt for her bed and climbed into it.

For an immeasurable amount of time, Elsa laid there, waiting for the tonic to work. Anton was always good to her with his prescriptions, but was always strict on the dosage.

And as she laid there, every blink of her eyes seemed to burn an image into her eyelids. Every blink seemed to put the image into the forefront once more. And after a while of that, she determinately shut her eyes as to not refresh the image. But even as she drifted to sleep, she could not truly get rid of the image in her mind. Of her nightmare.

Of a blonde woman with eyes of lightning and a voice of thunder.

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**AN: I'm Back!**

**So, yeah… that's it. Hope you enjoyed this one. It feels kind of weird that my last chapter was over 4000 words and now this one is just over 3000. It just feels awkward. Maybe the next one will have more words in it.**

**But as always: comments, concerns, and informed critiques are forever welcomed in the reviews. I love each and every single one of them.**

_**Zobek**_** and **_**ShadowWolfBeast,**_** I thank you both for your continued support and all of your kind words. I'm really glad that you guys are liking it as much as you are. And thank you, **_**Queen Martha Pond. **_**I really do hope to continue to give awesome chapters on my story, and every review helps me out. And ****since there are two **_**Guest**_**, I would like to thank both of you for liking my story and for your encouraging words. And don't be afraid to put a name in. I like talking to any and every one. Names really help a lot in distinguishing who is who, so don't be shy.**

**So, until next time, Au revoir.**


	12. Standing

**Hello again, my pretties. *Yawn* Sorry… still kind of sleepy.**

**But it is another week, so here is another chapter. And I did it! Now, this chapter is just a little over of 3500 words. Baby steps are always good steps. **

**So, without further ado, Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing… sadly.**

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Chapter 12: Standing

_Tick…_

_Tap._

_Tock…_

_Tap._

_Tick…_

_Tap._

_Tock…_

The heel of her expensively-made shoes struck the floor once more. But she could do nothing to stop it from occurring. The instinct of movement was drilled too deep to ignore.

_Tap._

Then again, she was alone. For now. So, the noise naturally gained more attention from herself. In reality, the soft murmuring of a small crowd would be more than sufficient enough as to muffle the continuous movement from view.

_Tick…_

For now, Elsa relished her empty mind as her gaze was trained on the few paintings hung on the walls. They were in positions of the windows that could never be built. It left an odd feeling inside her. Instead of showing a quaint city or the picturesque fjord, oil paintings of lush forest trails tried to simulate the fauna of the land.

_Tap._

But they only accomplished in reminding the princess of her surroundings. Of the new shine on the ancient furniture. Of the freshly picked flowers' and the recently lit candles' attempt to lighten the gloom. Of the freshly cleaned scent of lemon. Of the nearby fire's hard work in preventing the bitter chill from seeping into her dress. Elsa saw, smelt, and felt all of the nuances of unknown skilled hands' dedication in bringing the room that she currently sat in into comfortable conditions.

_Toc- Knock, Knock. Kn-Knock, Knock._

Elsa started as the echoes dwindled around her. A glance at the clock to her left conveyed her suspicions.

_Just before sunrise and right on time._

Absentmindedly, she whistled the same tune back to the heavy pine door. The turning of a key and the clunking of gears sounded before the door itself groaned open. Several sets of soft footsteps and the softer clacking of hooves entered the enclosed space before the sound of a relocking door was heard. Chairs scraped on the stone as the sounds of soft breathing mingled with her own.

And throughout all of this, Elsa's eyes remained fixed upon her hands. Or rather, what she twirled between them.

A red rose.

She had previously swiped the flower from one of the nearby vases. A glance around the room revealed that other roses sat amongst the arrangements. Elsa had picked the rose at random from the rest of its brethren. It did not and never will have the beauty of the rose given to her by the Enchantress, but it was still beautiful. The delicate petals fluttered slightly at any movement, the leaves were coarse to the touch, and the thorns prickled slightly at any contact with her fingertips.

It brought no warmth to Elsa's fingers.

_It's only a simple rose._

Shaking her head slightly, she raised her eyes to the assembly before her. The table was not any longer than her own work desk, so there was not much room for many seats. Luckily, the attendants were few. She had made sure of that.

To her right, was Gerda. The years had turned the young maid into an experienced overseer and Head Maid of the servants. Physically, the maid had retained her heavyset gait and her kind composure with touches of age around her eyes and in her hair. Mentally, the woman had grown a sense of authority that sparked in her eyes and echoed in her voice whenever she ordered the castle staff to their duties. Still, the kind smile that Ela knew and loved never truly left the elder woman's face. Even now, Gerda smiled at her. A smile tugged at her own lips as a reply.

Looking to Gerda's right, was Anton. The physician had aged greatly over the years. While still retaining his title as Royal Physician, a heavy weight seemed to drag at his shoulders. Once short, brown locks of hair had grown wilder and whiter as each year passed. His fit frame was now thin, almost dangerously so. And though emotions played amongst his face, they never seemed to reach his eyes. Overall, he was crippling slowly by the year. Elsa repressed a guilty flinch as she simply nodded her head to the man, knowing all too well at what was ailing the quiet, supporting healer. A nod was returned with a smile made of wax.

Across from Anton, was Kristoff. The reindeer had a sleepy gaze and slumped shoulders from the early rise. His antlers were nothing more than fuzzy stumps on his head and his coat was messy from sleep. Yet, Elsa wasn't fooled. Beneath the shaggy coat laid an array of strong muscles and steady bones. And she was not foolish enough to forget the power of the antlers as they had had once pierced an attacking wolf clean through. The man beneath the fur was a valued and respected friend with experience and skills locked within his steady brown eyes.

To Elsa's left and to Kristoff's right, and poking the deer to keep him awake, was Sven. The knight wasn't in his uniform, yet his trusty sword was strapped to his hip. His attire suggested that he was off duty, but Elsa guessed that some habits die harder than other. She wouldn't be very surprised if some chainmail was hidden under his coat. Not much had changed about the knight as he retained his height, strength, and skills over the years. But even now, she could just see the twinkle of his eyes and the lift in his cheeks as he turned to nod at her. Sven would always be quiet, but Elsa knew that he was happier than he had ever thought possible. She smiled slightly as she returned his nod.

A pang of loss came at the absence of one member. Though Monsieur D'Aez had become a dear friend and confidant, she knew that he would not fit into this meeting. And she knew that some nightmares weren't worth sharing.

_Perhaps, one day when I'm stronger…_

Swallowing slightly and setting the red rose in front of her, she spoke with a dead voice.

"The last of the invitations have been set."

She didn't need to say anything more. Kristoff and Sven looked at the rose with unease, seeming unable to look away at the symbol of the Enchantress, fear trickling into their matching brown eyes. Gerda's shoulders visible stiffened while Anton physically shuttered. Elsa herself was lost in memories that flashed to three points: a blubbering child explaining the Enchantress's message to a younger Gerda, a restless girl listening to a younger Anton and Gerda discussing of what would later become a taboo, a cozy stable with a young teen showing two men the magic mirror.

One way or another, each member within the room had found out as to the Enchantress's return on Elsa's twenty-first year. And oh, did they all fear it.

"She could have been lying or simply forgotten about us." Anton's aged voice sounded out. Tinged with subtle and desperate hope, the voice alone cut a hole in Elsa's heart.

"No, her return is as sure as the sun rising today." She breathed deeply before continuing, "I hope all of you can forgive me. I had have so much time as to figure out what the Enchantress wanted me to know. Yet, I've wasted time and opportunities to figure out-"

Sven's anger made him speak up and cut off Elsa's apology. "Your Highness, that witch has caused too much damage to all of us. You had no need to apologize for that creature's actions and we should be more focused on stopping her! Physically or otherwise."

What would had surprised others outside of the room barely had anyone twitch from within the room. Sven's outbursts of anger were not uncommon, but very well hidden. Taking the bottled rage out on training dummies and slow-moving enemies, the rest of the world saw a level-headed and dedicated knight. But they knew. The small group had grown close over the shared terror of the magic-wielding woman and the shared secrecy that reading moods off one another had become second nature.

Sometimes, when Elsa was alone with her thoughts, she hypothesized that Sven could had have been affected in some way from the Enchantress's wrath. Most times, she brushed away the stupid thoughts as she had no proof of any suspicions, except from her own fears.

But at that moment, she believed it.

"You have a death wish if you think it's possible to face off against a woman wielding the power of a storm in a flick of her hand." The low voice of Anton tried to reason with the sudden burst. A heavy snort accompanied the statement as Kristof shook off the last of his weariness. Elsa could easily see the storm brewing between the two cousins as they traded snorts and words.

"Yes! It is that simple!"

An agitated call came from Kristoff in reply. Sven's brown orbs hardened to stone as he heard the reply.

"A few days in the archives have done wonders for that! It is possible to be rid of her once and for all!"

A more guttural call, nearly a growl, came from the reindeer as larger brown eyes sharpened.

"And I can-"

"That is enough."

The silence was absolute. While the two men's voice had raised in volume, Elsa's own was soft in comparison. Though it was anything but soft, as everyone heard the steel behind the tone. Both men lowered their gazes as two points of ice pierced them from their princess's gaze. The silence lasted until it was broken by Elsa herself.

"We should not be fighting amongst ourselves. And we will definitely not be attacking anyone, no matter what had or had not happened." The voice did not belong to a timid girl or a close friend. The resonance of power and absolution was one of a Queen at the height of her reign.

But when she spoke again, the timbre lost some of its sting. "I do not want to lose anyone else to her. No matter what you may have learned, Sven, I can still see the lightning within her and know that you will fail." She inhaled deeply, "I was there with her. She told me that she would return. Though she had never harmed me herself, I still fear her and I know that you all do. I've cried and prayed that I would never have to meet her ever again. This is why I was attempting to apologize earlier. If I had not wasted so much time, I could have easily have found what she wanted me to find."

Sven looked ready to say something, but a sharp knock with a fuzzy antler lump paused him. Instead, Gerda spoke up.

"Mourning one's parents is never a waste of time. You had lost an entire childhood in one night and you have every right to mourn for it." The tone carried conviction and compassion as it broke through to Elsa's heart. The sudden twist in her chest was hidden as Elsa gentle nodded before speaking.

"That may be so, but that doesn't change the fact that time has run out. These next four months will be near chaos as preparations for the coronation will be hectic. Unless some miracle occurs, I will not be able to continue on with my investigations."

"Investigations?" Sven's statement was echoed by Kristoff's own call of confusion.

"Yes, I have outside help in discovering what I need to find and-"

"Wait! From who? And how do you know that this help can be trusted?"

"If you have not kept on interrupting me, I would have already told you," the irritation was as muffled as it could have been. "I had noticed an anomaly within the castle that needed someone less conspicuous than me to spy around. I had gained the help of one of my future advisors with completely discretion and am getting to the bottom of this. However, the coronation will be taking up much of his time, and will have to continue his normal duties to avoid looking incompetent of his position."

A moment of silence before she continued on.

"As much as I will like to tell you all more, I cannot."

Elsa hurried on to avoid being cut off once more.

"Gerda has commanded this castle's staff for over five years, and her work does show. Her discipline has made this staff into a well-oiled machine and this castle hasn't looked this well cared for I ages. But no matter what, it always seems that the walls have their ears."

_Namely Anton. _

Though the pang of guilt quivered in her heart, she forced he mind to think logically about the situation before her. She allowed the anger to steam away the guilt.

_He was threatened into stealing from the royal vaults. Perhaps, he is doing more? Nonetheless, giving out information on the treasury would let Avestrong a chance to run. A chance I will never allow._

Throughout this speech, she had seen the blush of pride on Gerda's cheeks and the dimming fury in Sven. Though, it wasn't completely quenched as Sven spoke once more.

"And if something were to happen to you and we have no leads, how are we to find this oh so mysterious friend for assistance?" The simmering of rage continued to cool as Elsa and Sven continued their exchange.

"Because he will find you and help you. I know that you are worried. But I can say without a doubt in my mind that the advisor I chose to help me accepted to do so. He works for the betterment of the kingdom, not just the blood sitting on an old, stone chair. Also," A teasing tone came into her voice. "I'm not that delicate. I was taught to fight by the best of the best." A smirk made its way onto Sven's visage.

"…That is true. Nonetheless, shouldn't it be the knight's duty to protect the princess?

"And sometimes, the princess must learn to protect herself… and protect others. I gave that man my word that I would keep quiet and place my trust in him so long as he did the same with me. He has worked diligently and helped to solve two of the seven mysteries that I must learn about in the span of a season. But the last piece of knowledge is proving to be the toughest to understand and to track down. He has assured me that he will try to make as much progress as he could with the upcoming preparations. In the end, we compromised that he would continue to work as his station dictates him to be. Whenever he could find time, he would continue his work for me, but not in the loss of his sleep or health."

After a shorter silence, Anton spoke up wearily.

"Perhaps, if you told us about your last piece, we could coordinate an investigation of our own."

Elsa's eyes remained steady only upon the greatest of will from within her being. Oh, how she wish that she could confide in them all. But old habits die hard and one lesson was repeatedly resurrecting itself from the depths of her mind. Each resurface cause a tightening on her heart has she could just hear her Father's voice echo to her.

"_One weak link is all it takes to tear everything apart…"_

He had used that phrase often during Elsa's years with them. Mostly, it was to make his only child toughen up and be what a ruler needed to be. And after all the years have passed, the phrase still holds true. Only that it was not about herself anymore…

"I know, Anton. And I have spent many hours within my own head trying to figure out a way to tell you all. And in the end, I could not. As many excuses as someone can make, I know that I cannot and will not give any of you that. I-I'm just scared to mess something up with everything so close."

She clenched her mouth shut and glued her eyes onto the rose. The symbol of love for some and a symbol of pain for themselves. Breathing deeply once more, she continued.

"Perhaps, I'm just scaring myself for no other reason than being paranoid. What I do know is that the next few months will be trying for all of us. And I know that this coronation will certainly not calm me. But I have done all that I could with my actions. I don't know how hectic the days will get, but I wanted this meeting to not be our last. After everything, we are still together. To face what will come, we must stay together."

Neither Sven nor Kristoff missed a beat as they simultaneously slammed both hands (and hooves) onto the table, gaining the spotlight before shouting out.

"Here, here. The Queen has spoken." Kristoff had to call and chuff out the words within his own reindeer tongue, but their faces were exactly the same. The look of two boys looking for mischief. The obvious over seriousness of the tones made a giggle leak through Elsa's lips while Anton and Gerda released their own forms of laughter.

_My family really is crazy._

The though did not seemed to bother her one bit as the last of her giggles retreated within herself. Looking around once more, she drank in the sight of the people that she would easily call family. Sven and Kristoff, her over-protective cousins, were grinning and ready to face the challenge ahead. Gerda, a motherly guide, had tactics and compassion converged on her face as determination to help the young woman showed. Anton, a fatherly advisor, had a faint spark to his eyes as his dry lips were pulled into a small smile.

A warmth throbbed in her chest as they continued their meeting a while longer into the morning. It was simple small talk of their individual days and duties, but Elsa loved it. She loved the warmth they gave her and the knowledge that came with it: being who they were and what they had been through, they would always find a place within each other. A place to stand amongst the churning waves of life.

XXXXX

And in a town far, far away, an old beggar woman was shivering and asking for spare change. Her gravelly voice and ugly appearance cause many to fake a blind eye and flee quickly while others graciously gave the poor woman some gold. Each thanks from the old beggar was accompanied by a short mutter.

Whomever had decided to help and give some change were unaware of the luck they had in helping the old crone.

On one occasion, the mutterings came to a halt as a warmth unexpectedly filled her heart.

She started out of her incantations and gave an experimental tug to the warmth. The faint taste of a warm, desirable beverage came to her tongue and after the shock wore off, a smile spread across the withered lips.

The surrounding populace didn't seem to notice as the old woman began to laugh with the voice of a maiden. The beggar woman stood up and walked away, still laughing that oddly youthful sound.

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**AN: Countdown's almost done. But Elsa's got some good friends to help her along the way. Oh, and if the whole 'Sven being Tough' is a bit weird, please remember that knowing that an all-powerful sorceress that had turned your brother into a deer would be coming back…you would be freaking out, a bit.**

**As always: comments, concerns, and ****informed**** critiques are forever welcomed in the reviews. I love each and every single one of them. **

**Here you go, **_**Zobek, **_**another chapter. Hope you enjoy it. And I really want to know what happens next, too. So… I better start writing. **_**Frozen789, **_**thank you for the kind words and I hope you continue to enjoy this weird tale of mine. And **_**ShadowWolfBeast, **_**is it weird to say that I want to see how the ending is, too? This story has gone way beyond what I could ever have thought about it. It's just so cool! And **_**Queen Martha Pond, **_**I love D'Aez as well. I honestly made him up in an hour and now, I just love him as a person. Let's hope that his awesome skills are enough to decipher the last secret in time.**

**So, until next time, Au revoir.**


	13. One Last Day

**Hello, and welcome back to all. **

**Sorry about this shorter chapter. A bit of life decided to be a setback to me, so… yeah… But with my awesome mind, I split my planned large chapter into this one and the next one, so it's just a bit of a wait. Hopefully you'll like it, but you all have my word that I'm working like a mad woman on the next few updates.**

**So, without further ado, Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing… sadly.**

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Chapter 13: One Last Day

_This day is so beautiful…_

And it was.

Being the early riser that she was, Elsa had watched the early morning stars winked and twinkled with hidden and mysterious joy as they faded into the dawn. The rising sun had sprung an array of hues that were so rare and precious that she could barely give any of the changing colours a name. The wakening world rose gently with the songs of larks, the faint scent of her breakfast, and the soft footsteps of the maids. The summer sky was absent of any clouds, leaving an astounding blanket of pale blue to look upon.

From the moment her icy blue eyes had opened, beauty seemed to leak from every pore of her surroundings. It was truly a magnificent sight.

…_almost _too_ beautiful considering the day._

The bitter thought twisted around her head.

Irises of ice were enclosed behind thin eyelids, all but blind as they could only discern a bright shade of red. She could feel the bright sunlight brush against her face. The gentle heat sank into the skin of her proud forehead all the way down to her chin.

The rest of her tall frame was covered with different cloths and did not allow the rays to reach the pale features. Deerskin gloves stretched from fingertip to elbow. A silk dress of her kingdom's royal colours stretched from the nape of her neck to just beyond her ankles. A purple woolen clock was attached to her dress by a broach and hung beyond her knees. Her snow-like hair had been weaved into an intricate bun and was secured by her favorite snowflake pin.

Images of herself flashed through her mind. Imagining how she stood and looked at the moment. In full royal attire and silhouetted by the sun, Elsa knew that she must look like an angel. A picture of grace, beauty, and ever-existing calm. Her many etiquette classes took credit for her grace and the years had turned her into a beautiful maiden.

Sadly, she was anything, but calm. The slight trembling of her clenched hands and the small beads of perspiration on her temple were clear enough to notice.

Taking deep breaths, she strained to decrease the rapid palpitations of her heart. Her old lessons with Anton sprung to her mind as she recalled the breathing patterns he had showed her so many years ago.

_Breathe in: one, two, three, four… hold: one, two, three, four… breathe out: one, two, three, four… hold: one, two, three, four… breathe in: one…_

The small mantra repeated itself, ever so slowly and ever so gently easing her stretched nerves. It could never truly ease the tension laid within her shoulders, but it was enough to starve off anything drastic. Going hysterical on her coronation day was an option that had to be absolutely avoided.

Her expertise in multitasking came into play as Elsa continued her breathing exercise while her mind wandered elsewhere. She wondered about many topics while stressed about many more. What came to her mind first was her royal physician. In between her mantra, small snippets of thanks and prayers were mixed in. Elsa could never truly expressed her gratitude to the elderly man. Several small scenes danced within her head. All of her meetings with the physician had either been brief or within the company of others.

But he never crowded her. He was never pitied her. He had never lectured her on her less favorable habits. Yet, he was always there. Anton was a constant within the castle: always inside the medical halls researching or outside among the markets purchasing herbs. Whenever an ailment arrived, it was Anton's experienced eye that was quick in diagnostics and his mind was quicker in creating a treatment plan. Her sleeplessness, migraines, cuts, bruises, blisters, and aches had always been treated by him. A kind smile and directions were given to be taken or ignore, but it was always her own choice. Something that she grew to appreciate over time.

His steadiness was worth so much to her over the years of instability. She swore on her blood that she would one day return the favor and protect the man who had diligently protected and healed her. Now, that day would be sooner rather than later.

_It would have to wait a little while longer...only a little…_

But Elsa knew that getting through this day alone would be a miracle in itself. Twenty-one years and a day ago, she never existed upon the earth. And twenty-one years later, that same non-existent thing was now to be crowned a Queen to a queendom. Just because she had schooled her features to perfection did not mean that she was emotionless.

Her nerves were stretched nearly to the breaking point for many and different reasons. And as she stood at the window, bathing in light, she sorted through the mess of worries within her mind.

First to come was the visiting dignitaries. If she opened her eyes and turned her gaze towards the harbor, she would be able to see the multiple flags waving aboard the multiple and large ships that had traveled here. She would also be able to see the improvements that had been made to the harbor that adjusted to the ships' arrivals. Her memory flashed between different language and dialects as she pictured each country's or kingdom's flag.

They had come from all around: from the Spanish coast, from the untamed Highlands, and all the way from the Southern Isles itself. But Elsa was not fooled by the turnout. She knew that such an attendance was more likely due to the excitement of an opportunity to be found rather than anything else.

_Prime example being Weaseltown._

Weselton was a prosperous English colony that was thriving greatly due to its great trading position amongst its many business partners. However, its great wealth was not always so earnestly acquired. With the distinguishable high taxes and shrewd politicians, Weselton had easily earned and was more easily recognized as Weaseltown.

And though the Duke of Weaseltown was one of the most recognizable dignitaries, there would be plenty more powerful royals attending. Each country's or kingdom's language was pictured clearly in her mind's eye and slid softly from her whispering lips.

Running the languages through had an oddly calming effect to the young Queen-to-be. Though no other soul was in the room with her, Elsa could almost picture her shoulders slumping slightly and her brow loosening. Her own proficiency within her skills assured her as each dialect was whispered into the warm air. As if a dam had broken through, other soothing thoughts entered her brain.

_I like the castle this way…so alive with activity. _

Though not soothing, it was true. Elsa loved the increase of the work done to her home. It was as if the hidden treasures of her home were suddenly found all at once. Old hallways were dusted as creaky windows were opened again to let in fresh air. Carpets were cleaned and metal was polished. Elsa only recently found out that the castle owned nearly eight thousand salad plates.

And to spearhead the hold endeavor, was Gerda herself. Often times, Elsa could just hear the echo of her old maid's voice boom through the halls. Quick, resourceful, and experienced, Gerda whipped the staff into an impressively hidden army. Dressed in uniform and combed to propriety, each steward and maid was whipped into shape to serve the needs of any who walked through the gate this day. No gossiping, no loitering, and above all: protect the young princess that would soon be their queen.

The last part of the odd mantra had always brought a smile and a light blush to Elsa's cheeks. Given who she was born from, she was always had a hidden fear that the staff had to be kind and courteous to her to protect themselves from her parents' wrath. A silly fear, but one that slowly and surely left her mind. She now knew that all of the staff had secretly taken her in as a daughter. The little treats and trinkets never stopped appearing at her door as many of them filled some of the shelves in her small bookcase. The games were never truly gone as she sometimes slipped away to play a game of chess. They loved her and she cherished it as her normally steady heart warmed.

And if her staff was her hidden army, then her true guards were ready for anything. Strict and demanding, captains ordered their men into positions that were best at protecting the visiting dignitaries as well as their own queen. Sven, now Captain Sven, had his own troops to order around and was positioned within the ballroom where the coronation's feast would be held. Sven's group was always the easiest to distinguish with Kristoff being Sven's second-in-command. No one really complained of the odd choice as long as Kristoff was paid in carrots rather than gold.

Elsa could just imagine their proud expressions as she would soon be entering the same hall. It left a warm glow in her heart that refused to fade even as her next thoughts turned darker.

_And then, there's her…The Enchantress._

None of the five who were spared that night were truly at ease. Even now, her own hands remained clenched at the mere thought of her greatest worry. The years had passed. The days were gone. And they had failed.

_And D'Aez tried so hard._

And he did. Even though Elsa had specifically told the gentleman of not stressing his health for the sake of the investigation, she saw the signs. Over the four months and through each of their meetings, the older gentleman's eyes grew weary and bags formed underneath his green gaze. He got leaner and his hair grew slightly more disheveled by the day. Perhaps he saw something in her eyes that she didn't know that pushed the man to dive into the mystery. It was only after he started yawning openly during a meeting with her other advisers that Elsa put her foot down. Over a fortnight ago, after blatantly ordering the man to abandon the investigation until after the coronation, Monsieur D'Aez was now presentable enough to attend the coronation with his much earned rest and food.

_But the damage was done. After all that hard work, I'd failed. The Enchantress would returned as she'd promised. And there is noth-_

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Opening her eyes and gazing at the pane of glass before her, she did not hesitate as she spoke.

"Enter."

A click of a set of keys and a turn of a knob revealed Anton. The old physician had been adorn in a suit fitted just for him. The uncomfortable look that he wore as he tugged at his collar drew a laugh from her.

"I'm glad that I can still amuse you so, young Elsa. Your laughter is too lovely to keep to one's self." A painted smile was given with the quip. It always pained her to see the gloom in his eyes, now more so with the knowledge of what today meant for the small group of five.

"Perhaps I'm just a biased brat that does not care for the faceless many to hear my laugh." She smiled in return. Over the years, the four constants in her life had worked so hard to get a scared and scarred girl to this day. She had to try and repay for all of those years of support. It may take the rest of her life, but she was willing. And she was certainly able as a small spark of kindness lit in the older man's gray gaze.

He knew what she was trying to do, but only chuckled. Halfheartedly, but the emotion was still there.

Raising a withered hand, his voice gained a forced aristocratic tone to it.

"Shall you give this old coot the honor of escorting the new bratty Queen to be crowned?"

And in an equally overly done aristocratic tone, she replied with, "Why, yes you may, my favorite jester."

Allowing her arm to be taken by the gentle physician, they exited her room. The guards that had been stationed outside her room and that followed them were ignored as the two strolled along the corridors.

The gates had already been opened. The guests were already invited and seated. The staff was trained. The sun hung directly in the center of the oddly clear blue sky. Now, she had to do her part. To be the queen that her people needed her to be. To show the strength and have the will to guide her small queendom to safety. To survive the one being who had started all of the craziness in the first place. And then, she could continue to plan of her future. Their future.

While entering the carriage that would take her to the cathedral, she sent one final prayer to whomever would listen.

_Just get me past this day and I'll be fine. We all will be. Please, just get me through one last day._

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**AN: Yeeeeeaaaaaahhhhh… not as happy as I'd like to be. It was supposed to be way longer and maybe encompassed some of the coronation itself, but I edited it out. Not enough time to type up. Reasons being is that life is acting bitchy, so… yeah. Had to put life back in her place before I could reach my beloved pc.**

**So, one big chapter had to be cut in two, but I'm not slaking one bit. The next few are going to be done and be done as awesomely as I can do them. You guys have my word on that. **

**And as always: comments, concerns, and ****informed**** critiques are always welcomed around here. And thank you, **_**Queen Martha Pond **_**for the warm review you left and I hope to continue to meet your expectations as a good writer for Elsa.**

**So, until next time, Au revoir.**


	14. Come All

**Hello again, my beautifuls. **

**Another week means another chapter. Hope you enjoy it, because I have a good feeling about it. But I won't say too much. You got to read this to find out.**

**So, without further ado, Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing, but my brain.**

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Chapter 14: …Come All

Lively music belted out from an even livelier group of musicians. The modest group of five had the precision of their specific instrument clashed with the sheer joy of playing such uplifting tones. As their skills were presented within the strum of strings, the hum of drums, or the blare of notes, it seemed to echo. A crescendo to the pace or volume of the music led to a crescendo to the ballroom of dancers.

Leather boots and slender heels tapped and spun to their beat as silk and cotton flew through the air. The dancers were a blur during the jolly-sounding song while those not participating merely spent the time with food, conversation, or drink.

The laughter, music, and conversation bounced themselves off of the embellished ballroom. Fresh-smelling curtains were hung and the best paintings from the castle were displayed upon the walls. A solid oak floor sparkled and shined with its new polish, while the stone pillars held a subtle grace with their simplistic design and placement. Elegantly crafted windows glowed with the sun's dying rays as the day turned to night. Despite the sleeping light, the celebration within the stone walls was nowhere near over.

Instead, another fast paced song came from the musicians and the crowd eagerly took up its call. Whether physically dancing or nor, its tune wormed its way into the taps of feet, the clap of hands, and the humming of quiet voices.

However, one was untouched by the merry tune's persuasive rhythm.

Separated from the rest of the joy, a still body of a Queen stood. From her place on the raised dais and in front of the modest throne, Elsa observed the scene before her, but never let it affect her. Her gaze flittered about to observed the royal guests, the loyal castle staff, the resilient guards, and the humble musicians. She had differing tasks for each class of society and with each flick of an iris, she juggled the three groups.

The musicians gained the swiftest of glances as Elsa's piercing gaze was easily drawn elsewhere. The group did their job well, and were certainly earning their pay with the energy in which they put into their respective instruments. Even as her eyes drifted to another point of the ballroom, her ears could not escape their attention.

The castle staff drew a longer glance as emotions threatened to leak from her eyes. With top form and decorum, the staff expertly weaved themselves to and fro of the crowds. If she was not there to see for herself, Elsa would had never had thought that her staff could have transformed into the well-oiled machine she saw. During another swelling of the song, one of Gerda's younger staff members easily slipped between a pair of potbellied men without a stutter in his step and to no one's notice except herself. The same couldn't be said for the guards as they remained as stationary as the pillars they had positioned themselves besides. Yet, their own silent vigil of the night was impressive to say the least.

Though the urge to smile in pride was great, she did not dare to make such an opening within the gazes of the other royals. The majority of her mind was set upon the groups of men, woman, and children of prestige and wealth from many foreign soils. She could have stood in the same place for the entirety of the night and still be ever watchful of the royals before her.

_And of others to come._

The thought was as bitter as it was truthful.

Many were allies or trading partners of the throne, some of who were eager to prod and test her patience. A few representatives were neither friend nor partner, but important nonetheless. Simply there to give their congratulations, Elsa knew that invitations were sent to them in the slight promise of new opportunities. Some of which Elsa had absolutely no interest in thinking more about.

And as if called upon by a curse, her icy blue eyes easily saw one of the banes of the feast attempting to approach her once again. A sniveling weasel that did not know how to take a no with grace was just about to speak to her once again. Instantly swallowing the bile of ire in her throat, she made the necessary checks onto her visage.

_Calm breathing. Attentive eyes. Still hands. Balance. And voi-_

But before she could finish the physical analysis, another figure allowed his long strides to cut off the annoying duke and provide her with an alternative. However, with her gaze turned away, Elsa didn't not know whom had come to her rescue until a sharp tap of impacting heels turned her head to her right.

The steely edge melted away from her gaze as she looked upon Monsieur D'Aez. Adorned in a dark green jacket and black trousers, the gentleman easily blended into the horde of the rich. However, his gentle green gaze and his soft welcome always remained the same.

A deep bow and a knowing smile was sent her way as her friend extended a hand. It was an invitation to a dance. An invitation she took without delay as a glance showed that the weasel was a persistent little pest.

Sliding her own gloved hands to D'Aez's, he led her out onto the slightly vacant floor for her first dance of the night. Although she was no stranger to a dancefloor, her arms remained stiff and uncooperative through the steps. She allowed a small thanks to echo in her mind as the slower tune of the song hid her ungraceful frame.

And as the song continued, she could see his smile fade into concern as D'Aez's gaze seeped into her. Neither her royal cloak did anything to hide her stiff shoulders nor did her gloves to hide her trembling fingers. The Frenchman was not a stupid man and Elsa never dared to think of him as one. Yet, he remained silent. He could have asked since their lessons had greatly advanced during the years to practice, but he did not.

Simply giving a solemn grin, the gentle Frenchman and the newly crowned Queen danced.

But Elsa knew what he was doing. It was no secret that the Queen preferred movement to reach a state of relaxation. Be it a simple walk through the gardens or a ride on the trails, movement helped to ease her. D'Aez knew. Elsa knew. And she was grateful for the gesture.

By the end of the dance, the joints within her arms seemed to have finally unlocked themselves as the dancers applauded themselves, each other, and the musicians. The applause was slightly louder thanks to her own presence, but Elsa barely registered it. With an outstretched hand of her own, she allowed the smallest of smirks to adorn her lips.

_Will I have this dance?_

A hand sliding within her own was answer enough as they picked up the beginning of the newest song. Another slow starter, but Elsa recognized the tune immediately and readied herself.

With D'Aez leading, the pair flew and danced with each rise and fall of the piece and their steps gracefully intertwined with the speedy notes. The small smirk refused to leave as she began to move her lips to a section of the piece that greatly resembled a little ditty.

_Once a year, we throw a party here in town… _

A playful song trickled through her mind of thorns and thickets. A song of mischief, games, and promises.

_Once a year, we turn all Paris upside down…_

It was the sweetest irony that Elsa could summon into her mind. Yet, it was there, and it was greatly appreciated. The odd ditty was taught to her by D'Aez himself as he explained some of his adventures in France. The memory of those stories allowed her weary thoughts a rest and made her smirk curl into a grin as D'Aez read the words she lisped.

_Ev'ry man's a king and ev'ry king's a clown…_

As hard as she had tried to prepare, she could not stop the giggle from sneaking out as her friend's slight mustache twitched in beat with the words.

_Once again, it's Topsy Turvy Day…_

Silently singing the ditty whenever the musicians' playing allowed it, the two ended their second dance with matching grins and walked to the dais with a gleeful twinkle in their gazes. She nearly lost the smile as a look to the dais revealed the swarm of vultures that had settle around the perch. A gentle squeezed of her friend's hand drew her attention to an approaching Anton, while the Frenchman bowed once more before departing.

"Your Majesty, may I have the honor of a dance?" The overly posh tone of his voice allowed the smile to remain.

"Well, the royal jester is always allowed a dance with the Queen."

"Long Live the Bratty Queen of Arendelle."

The back and forth finished as soon as it was started as the next song played on. Another playful and happy song lifted her spirits as her slippers twirled across the floorboards. Remaining as stoic on the outside as possible, she allowed her heart to unclench itself ever so slightly and tried to sink more into the dance.

The tense muscles under her touch did not allow her to do so.

Though she was not surprised, she gentle patted one of the offending shoulders to gain the man's attention.

"So, what has my dearest fool so tensed?"

Though she tried to put a front of joviality, the playfulness fell flat. Accompanied with an exhausted smile made the stiffness return to her own limbs.

"Oh, just some old years upon my fragile bones. I'll be as right as rain in the morning." The physician's own attempt as playfulness was not successful at hiding the sparks within his grey gaze. Anxiety, fear, and exhaustion battled their way across the expanse of ash, while the rest of his visage remained as interested and involved as any attendant of a coronation feast.

Elsa let her gaze softened as the song continued. The song's bounce seemed to mock the mood of the two dancers. Their twirls and steps had to fake the energy that the two did not have. While in concentration of the song, she carefully saved the previous warmth into a small corner of her heart. Knowing that he was going to ask, she quickly got ready to face the declining tone of their talk.

Pausing slightly to clap once more to the musicians, the newest tune's slower pace seemed to agree with the young Queen.

"How do you think this day went, my Bratty Queen?"

Giving a quick and grateful smile at his attempt, she was as honest as she could with her answer.

"Perhaps you can tell me, since I can't really have a say. Most of my time has gone to focusing on not fainting that this day was all a big blur. If it wasn't for the portrait being done, I would hardly believe I had been crowned at all."

It stung. To readily admit that she was so terrified that she had walked the entire day with a haze of fear hurt. Before she could sink into more hurtful thoughts, Anton spoke up again.

"Well, you should not worry have to worry. The coronation itself was beautiful and you were as regal and steady as you've ever been. Sven and Kristoff managed to sneak in Gerda to see the coronation. The last I saw was of the three of them crying in joy at the sight of you blooming into the woman you were meant to be."

It took a moment to swallow the knot of emotion. Anton's news shocked and delighted her in ways that even she could not have expected. The mere image of her family watching her reach the milestone of her life made her heart thump louder in joy.

The same muted joy and pride was reflected in Anton's gaze. But she also saw the exhaustion pricking at the beautiful emotion's edges. Gratefully, the song ended just then as the two of them separated and clapped once more. Even while he was still clapping, Elsa grabbed at her royal physician's hand and gentle guided him off the floor. Recapturing the smallest sliver of her earlier mischief, she turned to the man with a small smirk.

"I, for one, think that this day has gone on long enough. We all need our rest." Motioning towards a servant girl, the three grouped up in silence before Elsa continued on. "Maria, please inform Gerda and Sir Sven that the day is done. We should all be heading home as the night remains young enough to be safe for travel."

A silent nod and a flash of a skirt was all that was done before Maria disappeared into the throng of people. Elsa kept her grip on Anton's hand as she headed towards one of the exits.

"I've already given my speeches and held my counsels with several of these men. Gerda, Sven, and Kristoff will have no trouble in handling this crowd of sharks." The comparison drew a sharp chuckle from the elder physician. And as the two walked towards the exit, she didn't even need to look to feel the swarm circling again.

However her staff was anything, but lazy as the hungry men were expertly diverted and the two of them slipped out to the darkened halls. Feeling victorious, Elsa spoke up again in a smug tone, "And for my first decree, I wish for my royal jester to escort me to my room."

"And the tyranny of the Brat Queen has begun!"

Their merriment became silent as they traversed the halls of their home. The castle's familiarity brought forth a sense of comfort that both of the weary souls craved. But as they continued their walk, their strides steadily grew shorter and shorter as their steps crawled slower and slower.

Though both of them noticed the decreasing pace, they would never speak it aloud. The reason was that they both knew that the day was not over. The day was far from over.

With both of them lost in their own minds, it was only seconds before they reached Elsa's white and blue door. The door was closed. The door was silent. The room beyond the door was supposed to be empty.

_I hope so. I pray for it._

"Good night, Elsa."

"Good night, Anton."

Elsa couldn't decide what startled her more: the utter fear and care for her in Anton's voice or the emotionless tone within her own. But before Anton could move away, she turned to place a chaste kiss on Anton's soft hand.

He squeezed her delicate fingers in return before letting go.

Elsa remained in the hallway for a long while after Anton left. She had no worries about being caught outside her room. She had specifically asked to be left alone on this night.

She just never knew that she needed to be alone for the one thing she loathed for the last eleven years.

Taking a deep breath in, she mentally check herself.

_Calm breathing. Attentive eyes. Still hands. Balance. And voice control._

Forcing her body into motion, she carefully pulled the necklace of keys from around her neck. The old twine was scratchy against the skin of her neck as she picked up the key to her own door. With the key in one hand and the knob held tightly in the other, she force her brain to stop.

No emotions, no worries, and certainly no thoughts.

Mechanically, she inserted the key before turning it to the side. The lock _clicked, _the knob turned, and then the door opened.

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**AN: Hello everybody. My name is Jahaira, and I'm a troll. I know that and accept that as a part of me.**

***sighs* Wow, that felt good to say. XD **

**Anyway, the little song that D'Aez taught Elsa was the 'Topsy Turvy Day' from the Hunchback of Notre Dame soundtrack. Both 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' are set in France so it wasn't that far of a leap. But I just love both of the stories so much that I could resist putting the song in.**

**Anyway, next chapter is next week, so don't miss it.**

**And as always: concerns, comments and informed critiques are always welcomed around here. Yes, **_**ShadowWolfBeast, **_**just one last day. Hope you like this chapter, too. **_**Queen Martha Pond, **_**I like Anton's and Elsa's chemistry, too. It's supposed to be an uncle-niece kind of feel, but I love the way I've made my characters. **_**Zobek, **_**don't worry. Just one last chapter of tension, I promise. And **_**Guest, **_**thank you for the nice words and I'm glad that I'm doing well with the characters. **

**So, until next time, Au revoir.**


	15. Come One

**Hello again, everybody. Another week means another update by yours truly.**

**But this week, I'm doing something a little weird. Even for me. I'm doing a double update, one for this story and the other for my other story, Hidden Guardians. I've been having a few of my chapters piling up, so I'm just going to dump them both out here. **

**If you're interested, take a look at both. But without further ado, Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing, except my OC's.**

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Chapter 15: Come One…

As the subtle creaking of the door's hinges traveled through the air, Elsa stepped into her room. In a moment of weakness, she had shut her eyes tight. She didn't want to see. She didn't want to confront. Her mind and body begged for rest from the exhausting day. A bath, a bed, a pillow, and a blanket. In any condition or any form, she would take it without hesitation.

_Just one last hurtle to get through…_

She could not relax just yet. Her steps were quiet and her shoulders ached with tension. In the darkness behind her eyelids, shapes and colors flashed into solidity. They morphed into men with beastly faces and beasts with no faces at all. Hues of deep warm brown and blinding white swirled and blended into a growing pain.

She had to open her eyes. She had to open them soon. If she kept them closed for much longer, she knew that her near-empty stomach could not take it. Steadying her quivering breath and frame, her eyes scrunched even tighter before beginning to loosen once more. She physically had to force her face into loosening enough until a soft, orange light streamed in and a soft crackle came to her ears.

_Wait, what?_

Surprise allowed the rest of her face to relax and take a better view of her room. The light that had surprised her was from the fireplace where a roaring blaze crackled and burned. Elsa could tell that it had been lit a long while ago, considering the warmth within the room and the condition of the churning flame's fuel source. What had used to be thick logs have now shriveled into skeletons on themselves, yet the charcoal continued to burn brightly.

With such a great light source, Elsa could easily see the rest of her room, too. Her bed was made, her desk was in order, the bookshelves stood at the ready, and something on her bedside table caught her attention. But before she took another step within, she continued to swivel her eyes around, checking every nook, cranny, and shadow for any disturbance of any kind.

Nevertheless, nothing was here. She was alone.

Turning in place, Elsa proceeded to close and securely lock the door before walking towards the bedside table. She still continued to walk silently and her shoulders remained tense. Though her eyes and ears gave her information, she did not trust them at the moment. For the simple fact was that there was not supposed to be a fire burning or any article out of its place, especially there was not supposed to be any new articles added to her room.

There laid a piece of parchment, a small bundle tied closed with a piece of twine, and a small glass that seemed to be filled with a blue-tinted liquid. Through Elsa's mind that was filled with stress and suspicion, a small ray of recognition peeked through. The tint of the liquid was similar to the stress-relieving tonic she often drank from Anton. And as she looked more closely to the hand writing upon the parchment, the stiffness of her shoulders eased.

_Elsa, _

_As much as you've gone to the lengths of protecting yourself and the people you love, I was given this key for a reason. And I will do my damned best to fulfill that reason._

_Do not fret. Only I was here. I spruced up and dusted the room, which leads onto you should be opening these windows more often._

_Still, I leave behind the warmth, Anton leaves behind a good night's rest, and Kristoff and Sven leave behind a bag of sweets. _

_Sweet Dreams,_

_Gerda_

As Elsa silently read the short note, it felt as if Gerda was reading the words for her. Her voice, withered by age, was strong, caring, and inhumanly gentle as it echoed back into her thoughts.

The sigh that slipped between her lips was lightweight and freeing. The tall woman could feel her entire frame sag as each and every muscle unclenched. She did not care about her slumping stance, the glistening of her icy eyes, or the wide grin upon her lips. She honestly could not care less about those little imperfections to her façade. The only thing she cared at the moment was to breathe in the peace she felt.

Tenderly placing the parchment back to the table she allowed her gloved fingertips to dance towards the small bundle of cloth. With a speed that belayed the dexterity of the digits, the gloved hands uncovered a small mountain of chocolate truffles. In the span of a second, one of the small delicacies disappeared from the stack. And in the next second, the bitter sweetness of dark chocolate melted on her tongue.

With tender eyes and gentle hands, she carefully grasped at the bundle of sweets with one hand before casually reaching up towards her head with the other. In a smooth twist of a wrist, the sparkling crown that she wore through most of the day representing her new duties and was once wore by the past rulers of Arendelle was thrown into the air.

It seemed to hover for a split moment before landing safely upon the bed. Elsa never looked back once as she strode towards her bathing room. The door leading to said room was rather an unassuming blue that blended into the rest of the walls. But beyond the door laid a cast iron bathing tub alongside a sink and a toilet. A hanged mirror and a small desk were pushed upon the opposite side of the intricate plumbing system. The innovation of the plumbing clearly stood out against the archaic stone walls, but Elsa had seen its designs for most of her life. With another twist of her wrist to one of the knobs, hot water began to pour out from the faucet. What would amaze many was simply another part of her life.

Another part of her life included the removal of constricting corsets and the smooth dress. This too was so common to her that removing her clothing happened in just under a minute, and in another second, she was working on her hair. Removing the pins and knots from the day, she quickly pulled her white-gold locks into a loose and comfortable bun. By then, the tub was just under halfway filled, and the young Queen began her soak.

A slight nudge in her mind tried to remind her of something. It was supposed to be something important, but she could not for the life of her give a thought to care. The day was too long, the unrelenting stress persisted each and every moment of that day, and Elsa was tired. She needed this moment. She needed the peace before something within her gives way. Already in the tub, with one hand within reach of the soaps and other within reach of the precious chocolates, she bathed.

The entire day seemed to want to cling to her fair skin. The smell of the horse-drawn carriage, the sacred holy water of the cathedral, the vintage wine, the exotic foods, the even more exotic perfumes all failed to resist the soap and all washed away. With each new path that the bar of soap took, her free hand would sneak off to the little mountain of chocolate delights. The sharp scent of the mint soap invaded her nose to clash with the lingering hint of chocolate. The continuing rise of the heated water soothed the deeply knotted muscles in her back as it climbed up her spine.

Such bliss was Elsa's own version of heaven. Being raised a royal did not mean that she did not love the subtle nature that some gifts attained. But this night was different. The smile could not leave her face as warm tears mixed with the warmer bath water. The small note with even smaller gifts at a small table had given so much. She could never truly express how their love felt to her.

_If only time could stop right here, right now._

At that moment, another nudge poked her head. A moment of confusion came and passed as Elsa tried to remember if she had forgotten anything. Without anything coming to mind, she continued to relax in the haze of steam, mint, and chocolate.

Elsa could not truly tell how long she spent in the tub before realizing that she ate the entire pile of chocolates. Astonished at the disappearance, she contented herself with the lingering traces within her lips before noticing that the steam was thinning. The strong heat of the water had faded into a lukewarm tone over time.

_Well, time for bed, Queen Elsa._

With a slight giggle, she pulled the plug from the tub as she exited it. Swaying slightly, she meandered towards the desk. The mirror reflected her naked body and the cold floor stung her toes, but she did not pay attention to either of them. Taking hold of a woolen towel, she dried up at much water as she could without tipping over. Elsa giggle again as she found the sudden difficulty of balance to be a fun challenge. As she looked around for a nightgown that wasn't where she thought would be, Elsa did not realize that she simply had forgotten to take one with her. She didn't realize that she had been acting more and more like a giggling girl for the past minutes.

And it did not matter to her as with a final flourish, she wrapped the towel around herself. Satisfied with her attire, she swayed her way to the door separating her from the rest of her room.

The fumbling hand twisted the knob and entered into a room with someone already sitting on her bed. A dark traveling cloak hid most of the intruder's attire to the Queen's eyes, but the hood was down allowing bright gold hair to cascade down a woman's back. The sounds of the door opening caught the woman's attention as she turned in place.

"You ate all of the chocolates, didn't you, young Elsa?"

The unmeasurable beauty, the pair of stormy eyes, and the honey-filled voice that came from the Enchantress should have been recognizable to all who have previously met her. Another internal prod in her head was ignored as she answered the question in a singsong manner.

"Yeeeeeeeessssss." A trail of giggles burst out of the newly crowned Queen as she could not hold back her mirth. One moment, the Enchantress was cozily seated on the bed, and in the next, she stood right beside Elsa. Securing the loosening towel, she spoke clearly and directly to Elsa.

"Elsa, I need you to hold onto my shoulders for a moment. Can you do that?"

"Yeeeeessss, I caaann." Without much thought, Elsa practically lunged forward and hugged the golden maned woman. She nuzzled into her hair as hints of chocolate seemed to lead her deeper into the thick locks of gold. As she was about to tighten her hug, a sharp snap of fingers caused her to paused. A haze seemed to part as clarity flittered through her mind. The change was so sudden that she was grateful for having such a strong hold onto the other woman.

_The other woman…gold-like hair, beautiful, and…_

Icy orbs snapped opened at the realization of what she was doing at that moment. But before the shiver of complete fear could truly start, warm arms encircled her. She stood absolutely still as her head was tucked underneath the taller woman's chin and her ear was pressed against a generous chest.

"Young Elsa, it is I that have need to apologize, not you," The Enchantress plowed through as Elsa tried to speak up in concern, "Please, let me explain. I know that many of the people who truly meet me easily fear me. I do not judge anyone for it, yet from this, I usually tend to meet an individual just once in their lifetime. But there are times in which that I must return to someone. But by the time I've return, they have become irrationally terrified of me so we can't truly meet again. I combat the fear and keep my promises by slipping a bit of Serenity into an individual's favorite food. That is what I had done to you and your chocolates. Although, I probably should had just put the Serenity into one truffle instead of all."

As the Enchantress finished her explanation, Elsa couldn't keep her mind from wondering a bit. She checked herself and realized that she truly wasn't afraid. The clear-headedness was rather normal to the thought, but she was still being hugged by the same powerful sorcerous she had met all those years ago. And in the clarity, a lone thought made its way to Elsa's lips.

"May I have a bottle of that Serenity?" A bell-like laugh shook the body that Elsa was being hugged to.

"Perhaps afterwards, but I believe that I had come back for a reason, young Elsa." The soft reminder prodded at a sore wound within the shorter woman. Elsa knew what the Enchantress was speaking about as she was the one who failed to find all seven of the secrets. Hanging her head, Elsa refused to meet the Enchantress's eyes. For a long moment, Elsa stewed in her failure but was surprised that the emotion could not consume her thoughts like it usually did. It was there, but it did not spread or mix like her previous encounters with it. The strange separation reminded Elsa of how a spoonful of vegetable oil acted in water.

"Perhaps we should sit?" The Enchantress's voice made her look up and look around. She had been so caught up within her own thoughts that she had not noticed some of the more subtle changes around her until that moment.

She was wearing a nightgown that did not belong to her. The light blue silk was masterfully embellished with snowflakes of a shade of lighter blue. Large ones and small ones decorated the silk in eye-catching patterns and Elsa's own ice-colored eyes could barely count how many of the frozen raindrops were sown into the silk. Elsa was speechless at the embellished gown's complexity.

"I knew that this meeting would be tough enough with adding mortification to it, so I simply made you a sleeping gown." A small sheepish smile made its way onto the Enchantress's lips at the end of the sentence.

"It's… beautiful. Thank you," She paused slightly before adding on, "And you're right, we should sit down."

Without any further words, the two women stepped towards the fireplace where two plush chairs were place. Elsa never remembered ever seeing such chairs before in her room, but she did not question as her mind began to narrow. The desire to know about what else she had missed from all of the past years. But a question nagged at her. One that she dearly wished to know.

"A-All those years ago…Y-You said that you would return if I could not find all of the secrets that surrounded me. Right?"

The Enchantress seemed to know that Elsa needed time to sort something out and stayed quiet. So, she quietly nodded.

"Why is it that I could not see all of the clues clearly from the mirror?" A small silence echoed before the Enchantress moved. A slight shift of a hand had the drawer unlocking itself from across the room and the rose mirror floated into her lap. A small pouch followed soon after.

Motioning Elsa closer, the golden haired woman gave her the two items while explaining herself.

"Do you remember what I said about the mirror? About your intentions on your questions needing to be as pure as the rose itself?"

Elsa nodded earnestly. She had not forgotten a single detail of that meeting.

"Well, the rose is often a symbol for love, but not just romantic love. Your care for each of the people associated with each clue made certain aspects of the clues clearer while keeping other aspects vague. Love can change overtime, so overtime, the visions will change with it. Then again, some of the secrets are less complicated than the other, so there is less to make clear or vague of overall."

With a slight flash of her eyes, the six ruby petals that had fallen were now twirling and swirling themselves closer and closer to the silver mirror. And not unlike a mess of puzzle pieces, each petal found its place back onto the little ruby flower. The mirror itself flashed before showing a single vision. One that showed a great expanse of sea and air in the company of a bright gold sun and a single gold bird. It was frozen in time.

"This last one looks so clear since the secrets isn't complex at all, but it's just hazy enough for you to not see where the bird is heading. You don't know this person yet, but when you do, you will love her with all of your heart."

And as the sentence ended, the bird began to flap its wings while the sea waves began to roll. The endless sky continued to pass, while the endless sea seemed to find a border. The bird was approaching land. The sun shone so bright that it began to reflect itself off of stones, woods, and even cloths. The bird passed through them all and landed at a grand house. The insignia of the house was of the blazing sun itself, and the gold bird landed in a garden where a little girl was climbing a tree.

The red hair of the little child seemed to rival the sun's own flames yet the silks she wore was of the deep blue sea. And as the little girl turned to greet the bird, a necklace slipped from around her neck. The two pendants clinked and glittered happily in the sunlight.

At the sight of the two pendants on the necklace, shock streamed into Elsa's veins in her recognition. She knew what those pendants meant. She had watched them burn to ashes along with their respective houses.

House Multon and House Windhaven. The bird was greeting the child of a lady of Multon and a lord of Windhaven.

In absolutely shock, Elsa's numb fingers could no longer hold the mirror. Her unfocused eyes didn't see the Enchantress catch the precious artifact, nor did her buzzing ears hear the concern questioning. No amount of Serenity could do anything to stop the torrent of white noise within her mind. All of it was just a single phrase repeated over and over again as it was mixed with other streams of thought or memories.

And after a long moment, she said the phrase out loud and into the quiet of her room.

"My sister is alive."

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**AN. I LOVE THIS CHAPTER!**

…**Sorry, overreacted a bit and I'm tooting my own horn, but it's not untrue. :D **

**But what do you guys think? Oh, and if you've gotten a bit lost on things, just go back to chapter 7. That explains the whole deal with this chapter.**

**And as always: concerns, comments and informed critiques are always welcomed around here. **_**Zobek, **_**I'm glad you're still enjoying my weird little story and congrats on the new job! **_**ShadowWolfBeast **_**and **_**Queen Martha Pond**_**, I'm really sorry about the cliffhangers, but I did admit that I am a troll. I'll try to fight the troll in me as best as I can in future chapters. **_**Onora, **_**thank you for the review, and I hope that your curiosity was sated. And for the **_**Guest**_**, thank you for your sweet words. I hope you continue to like this tale of mine. **

**So, until next time, Au revoir.**


	16. Changes Again

**Hello again, everybody. And as you know, another week means another chapter, so I hope you all like this one.**

**Oh, and a small thing: No update next Thursday. I've got to really start planning my return to school, so I'm going to be busy this week.**

**And without further ado, Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I wished I owned Frozen, but reality sucks, so I don't. :*(**

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Chapter 16: Changes Again

Darkness. There was only darkness.

Blissfully sweet darkness. Oh, how Elsa wished that she could remain in its grasp forever.

_Hmm…_

But Elsa knew that forever never lasts.

While surrounded by perfumed sheets and feather pillows, Elsa's nose twitched. A delectable scent drifted up and into her conscious. Smiling in disbelief at the soothing aroma, Elsa willed herself to remain in the dream just so that she could bask in the bliss of it.

Although the darkness remained, the passage of time made it not so blissful anymore. The dream world faded more and more as the seconds passed by. However, the aroma remained within her thoughts.

Her eyelids twitched open to reveal the icy blue irises. A faint confusion sprung up as she took account of her surroundings. She was in her room, currently tucked into her own bed. She did not move as the entire room was draped in shadows. A turn to the windows revealed the near invisible grey-hued sky of twilight. It was clear that sunrise would easily be an hour or so away.

The room was dim, the silence was true, the bed was warm, and at the moment, Elsa's mind was at peace. Her confusion only grew as she tried to clear her sleep-laden mind to remember what had awoken her.

A turn to the opposite side of her bed easily explained the odd awakening. For on the floor, there was a faint glow.

It was a petal. Moon white among the gloom, the petal swirled and twirled on a nonexistent breeze. Within a blink of icy eyes, the petal was over Elsa's head. Twirling, swirling, and beckoning.

Elsa's eyes followed the flowing movements of the fluttering white petal as it slowly, but ever so surely flew towards the door. Elsa's sleep-laden body obeyed her now alert mind as she sluggishly sat up from her bed. Her eyes kept track of the fluttering petal as it crossed her room and fluttered besides the door. Twirling and swirling up and down, yet it refused to move another step in any direction.

Intrigue and suspicion warred briefly before Elsa's eyes twitched to another direction and made a clear discovery. There were two chairs beside the silent hearth. Seated in one of the chairs was the rose mirror.

Instinctively, the young woman stood from her bed and strode towards the pair of chairs. Forgetting and thus forgoing gloves, she gentle picked up the priceless artifact that was placed face-down upon the cushions. Turning the rose mirror over, Elsa stepped back as eyes squinted at the unexpected brightness coming from its surface.

Moments passed before her eyes adjusted to the light until she was able to see the vision within the glass. And when she did, confusion grew ever more. It was not one of the familiar visions of the seven secrets that she now memorized by heart. Instead, a balcony was shown. A stone table and benches were being bathed in early sunlight. Its picturesque view was beyond words in its beauty.

The vision of tranquility did nothing to soothe Elsa as she registered one thing in her mind: She knew that view. She knew where that balcony was.

Raising her head once more, her gaze glued itself upon the twirling and swirling petal. Weak knees and unsteady ankles pushed a weary body towards the door. As she moved, the white twirling petal move with her. In a flash, the glow of white slipped underneath the slight opening between the floor and the bottom edge of the door. Without hesitation, Elsa opened the door and looked down the corridor. And there was the twirling and swirling petal, traveling on the same nonexistent breeze.

With a clear mind and hands clenched around the mirror's handle, she followed. As she passed by closed doors and empty connecting corridors, a strong feeling of recognition settled onto Elsa's shoulders. Continuing on with her slow pace, her senses picked up the patterns hidden within the gloom. The dead silence. The echoes of only herself. The early morning time dragging upon her weary limbs. The cold sting on her toes.

It was almost child's play to close one's eyes and envision the frightened child running through the halls.

But Elsa refused. Steeling her mind, she continued to follow the fluttering petal. Ignoring the doors, the clocks, the pictures, and the many trinkets of the rich and powerful home of the Royal Family of Arendelle, she followed. Pushing all thoughts, teachings, and instincts to the side, she followed. So focused was she in her determination to follow the fluttering petal, she did not notice the end to her journey until the distinct feeling of being watched pressed on her mind.

Blinking out of her daze, she realized that the sky had lightened up. The deep grey was now tinged with slight hints of pink while the stars began to wink out of sight. However, her attention was ripped from the heavens by a pulse of white light. The white glow around the twirling petal was now pulsing as it hovered over the table. A few seconds passed until the glow brightened exponentially before dimming once more. In place of the petal stood a slender white candle. Its fluttering flame cast light upon the table and its surrounding, thus revealing Elsa's hidden companion.

The Enchantress sat upon the cold bench, appearing as if she was a part of the stone. The woman with the golden mane could have been mistaken for a statue if not for the rags that adorn her beautiful figure. As quiet as the night surrounding them, Elsa sat beside the Enchantress before setting her gaze to the flickering flame.

_We will talk when we need too._

And with that, the quiet stretched. Surprisingly, the silence lasted for a few moments before Elsa felt soft hands break the iron grip that her own stiff fingers had upon the artifact. One slender hand removed the mirror while the other replaced the empty space with a warm mug. Elsa did not even have the chance to look down before the aroma returned. Sweet, warm, and soothing to the sense, the warmth of the hot chocolate found its way down Elsa's throat before she consciously thought about it.

Half of the precious brew was gone before she removed her lips from the mug's rim. Looking to her side, her icy eyes widened at the Enchantress nursing her own mug of what could only be the chocolate drink.

"It's not my fault that I'm now an addict to your hot chocolate." A teasing note was clearly present in the lovely voice of the Enchantress. Elsa blinked and forcefully directed her eyes downward.

She could not think of anything to say. She could not think of anything to do. What had transpired the previous night threatened to overwhelm her mind again as she sat with her hands filled with the mug. Her memory was relentless in its endeavor to recall each and every detail of the night before. It made Elsa feel as though the coronation happened a year ago instead of a night. The revelations swirled in her head while the silence of the morning surrounded the two women. Yet, Elsa felt something was missing.

_Wait? What happened afterwards?_

She remembered the chocolates, the bath, the roaring fire, and the glowing mirror. She remember each word spoken and each action done. Yet, Elsa could not remember how or when she went to bed.

_Perhaps…_

Looking up once more, Elsa meet the stormy gaze of the Enchantress. It felt as though the beauty before her was waiting for Elsa to speak. So, she did.

"How did I get into my bed?"

"You fainted. I placed you in your bed."

"Oh…"

_Oh. Apparently, learning that I have a sibling across seas makes me faint._

Taking a small gulp of the warm beverage to clear her throat, she whispers. "Thank you."

"You're thanking me for what, exactly?"

"For your honestly. You were right. I was not ready to learn everything back then." Taking a deep breath, Elsa could almost taste the echo of the eleven years ago frustration. Closing her eyes, she could almost picture her child self, pleading with the same Enchantress to know everything. Almost.

"But you are not a child anymore. Now, you are the Queen of Arendelle." Keeping her eyes closed, she could almost see the bishop as he crowned her as the small queendom's Queen.

"That is true."

With a turn of a head and the flutter of eyelids, icy blue met stormy grey.

"The only secret that remains… is what you are going to do next."

"I have many choices." Elsa easily agrees before taking another sip of the chocolate.

"You do." The Enchantress agrees right back. "Many good choices. Many bad choices. Many lukewarm choices."

"That is true," Elsa repeats.

Then silence. Elsa does not know what else there is to say. She merely leans forward to take another sip. The two woman sat in compatible silence, each taking their sips of the chocolate delight from their individual mugs. Before long, another attempt to sip is ended with the find of the empty mug.

"I guess there is nothing else for me to do." With the Enchantress rising up from her seat, Elsa could just make out the lightning within her eyes. Even with her only possessions being the rags that she was dressed with, the Enchantress easily outmatched Elsa in height, beauty, and strength. It was a fact Elsa secretly feared and respected the Enchantress for.

"Walk with me one more time?"

Settling the empty mug upon the candlelit table, which in turn disappears from sight, Elsa saw an offered arm. Yet, she could only gaze at the empty space.

A chuckle broke Elsa of her staring. Looking up, the Enchantress's fingers laced within her own as she spoke. "I, too, find myself doing that. It reminds me that even I am not immune to the magic of the world."

And with fingers and arms intertwined, the two women walked through the silent castle. While both were the images of grace and serenity, one was ever so steadily losing her calm in the ever-present quiet. The icy blue eyes were steady while the pale hands trembled.

"Déjà vu, huh?" The Enchantress's attempt at conversation met Elsa's stiff, yet cooperating lips.

"Oui." The word was tense and stilted.

"Do not worry. They merely sleep during the early hours. I will be long gone before they awaken once again."

The silence descended again as the two pass room after room. Ballrooms were left undisturbed, and corridors remained empty of any other signs of life. And while descending down the last set of stairs, Elsa allowed herself to ask some of the nagging questions that screamed in her head.

"Is this the same m-magic that you used the last time?" Elsa mentally berated herself at the slip.

"Yes and no. They have nothing in need to be forgotten, but I'm too old to be sneaking my way in and out of castles."

The answer had such a casual air that nearly made Elsa burst into laughter.

_Or burst into tears. I… honestly don't know._

With Elsa drifting in and out of conversation, it felt as though no time had passed before the two were before the front doors. With a twist of a wrist, the knob turned without complaint as the Enchantress and Elsa looked out onto the early dawn. Its orangish pink hues dyeing the sky, clouds, stone, and earth. The warm colours did nothing to warm the trembling Queen.

In an instant so fast that it did not initially register with the young Queen, the Enchantress's warm hands were gone. Yet something warm was still in her hands. Stumbling slightly in shock, she looked at what was now in her hands. The rose mirror, with its glittering silver and sparkling jewels, was now within Elsa's grasp.

_What?! I-It-_

With her eyes glued to the reflective glass, Elsa was surprised again at the sudden weight to her shoulders. Jerking her head up, frantic eyes registered a scarf. Pure white and warm to the touch, she nearly mistook the wool for silk before examining it closer. Slightly tanned hands wound the scarf around Elsa's slender neck, as the Enchantress spoke again.

"One of these days, you're going to catch your death from the cold. Summer or not, you should not be wearing only a nightdress for this type of weather."

The teasing words might as well have been spoken to a deaf woman for all of the comprehension Elsa got from it.

"Why are you giving me these…?"

"For the scarf, you going to need that if you're going to continue on with your walk in your nightdress. And for the mirror… it does not wish to return with me. So, it will stay with you." As Elsa confusion rose, the Enchantress continued with a steady voice. "You have my word that you will never see me again. But only after you truly do not need the mirror will it leave your possession."

Turning around, Elsa was faced with the Enchantress's back. Fearing of the final encounter leaving more questions than answers, Elsa gave up the last of her reserve dignity to yell.

"Wait!" Desperation clawed out with the word, while fear pushed the rest of the onslaught from her teeth. "I-I-I can't! I-I just want this over! I GOT my answers! I HAVE my queendom! I don't want to search for anymore chaos!"

The quiet afterwards rang louder than Elsa's yells.

"You may not seek anymore answers, but your sister will." The Enchantress's calm was unshakable, while Elsa's horror grew.

Not unlike a puppet with their strings cut, Elsa's knees suddenly unbuckled from the weight of the world on her shoulders. But before she could hit the stone floor, strong arms cradled the shaking woman. Without a moment's hesitation, Elsa threw her hands, mirror and all, around the Enchantress as her knees failed her.

The sick wave of fear was an old and unwelcome acquaintance to Elsa, but she could not stop it. But she had to get her last words out before fear clogged her throat too much. Straining against tears, she spoke.

"I-I can't. Not alone…"

"And who ever said you were alone?"

With a withered hand pulling up her chin, Elsa came face-to-face with a crooked nose, bent teeth, and now calm eyes. Compassion oozed from the old face as a bony pair of hands pushed a small vial into Elsa's numb fingers. While gently curling the supple fingers around the vial, a youthful voice spoke from the old hag's chapped lips.

"When you have finally achieved what you asked from the mirror, you will know." A playfully kind smirk stretched on the old skin, "And when used correctly, a bottle of Serenity can be more useful than magic. Keep them all close."

And with a faint flash of light, the Enchantress was gone once again.

* * *

**AN. And that guys… is how a sorceress leaves like a boss. No fanfare. No fireworks. Just some epic déjà vu. But really, that's it from the Enchantress and her words don't really speak about sunshine and rainbows. **

**Anyway, this chapter was a bit of a wind down before politics comes back to annoy Elsa. No one got magically scarred for life or anything super weird. It's just the Enchantress saying her goodbyes. But this certainly won't be the last time she will be remembered. I got plans for that. **

**As always: comments, concerns, and ****informed**** critiques are welcomed. **_**Queen Martha Pond **_**and**_** ShadowWolfBeast, **_**I'm just as excited as to get Anna in here as you two are. Just have to get past some relationship stuff within Arendelle before we can go overseas. **_**Frozen789, **_**here's the update. Hope you enjoyed it. **_**Zobek **_**and**_** Guest, **_**Thank you both for our kind words and the great support. I loved chapter 15 too much than what should be healthy, but I have to move on.**

**So, until next time Au revoir.**


	17. Knowing

**Hello again, Ladies and Gentlemen!**

**Today, I just feel great. Don't really know why, but I'm going to run with it. I hope you all are having a great day, too.**

**Some news: The new semester is starting for me on next Monday. I promise to try my hardest in keeping up with my one-chapter-per-week schedule, but life is life. All I can do is make sure to tell all of you nice folks whenever I need to miss a Thursday and pray for patience from you guys. **

**And without further ado, Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I wished I owned Frozen, but I don't. Reality is a stinker in that regard.**

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Chapter 17: Knowing

_By now, they know._

And she knew that they knew, but couldn't bring herself to care.

It was early dawn. The gray light was steadily overpowering the stars and the shadows began to slink into their burrows. A few candles were lit by the earliest of risers while their light seemed to imitate the stars: the more the sun rose, the less of them there were.

And as the darkness began to fade, noise began to rise: A roaring fire was stroked for an oven. The soft patting of a pair of sleepy feet across a hard floor. The flittering songs of the awakening birds.

Elsa knew all of this, but still couldn't bring herself to care. And she had such a nice view of it, too.

Not many knew the views that the Castle of Arendelle held, but a few did. Oh course, the castle staff knew much about the stone castle since they had to scrub, dust, or polish every inch of it. The guardsmen knew just a bit less than the castle staff, since they had to defend it. In comparison, any true visitors only saw a very small amount of the prestigious castle.

Including the ones who were the last to sail out.

Two chips of ice were locked onto the foreign banners. The splashes of color stood out against the sea and sky as two ships sailed away from land. Even though they were just entering open waters, the pair of ice had no problem in distinguishing the two as the symbols of France and Weselton.

A brow twitched slightly as she remembered both dignitaries. One was gentile, while the other tried to be. One was honest, while the other completely failed at telling lies. With another twitch of her brow, she knew that if she ever met that dignitary again, it would be far too soon and far too cruel. Slowly ebbing the two men away from her thoughts, she began to admire their ships from afar.

She watched as a strong wind whipped their sails about, and tugged on the braided lines. She knew that it would be a windy day, yet she did not care. She could not feel the cold. The heavy dress and gloves would not allow her to. The deep blue fabric of the dress had always went well with her naturally pale complexion, while the white gloves that carried accents of gold complemented the blue. If one looked close enough, the spun gold would create subtle crocus designs.

Yet, the fabric's warmth was completely eclipsed by the slender object that was cradled into the soft leather of the gloves.

Her white gold hair was already fashioned into a bun where a golden tiara was placed upon, while her face was cleared of all thought. Or it appeared to be.

_Gerda should have already been passed my room, so…_

With held breath and a still frame, her lungs only just began to burn for air before what she waited for happened.

A near-silent swish of door from behind was followed by soft footsteps. Elsa had no need to turn around, as she already knew who was with her. She also knew what the scene would look like to the other: a shadowed balcony with a still beauty at home within the darkness.

"Elsa, where would you like your breakfast?" Gerda's voice did not crack with the cold, but with subtle relief and concern.

_And why wouldn't she? Becoming a hermit within my room for three days doesn't help anyone._

The self-insult was squashed before more could accumulate, but the swirling within her mind was slower in its departure. A flash of previous thought or memory easily cut through to her mind's eye. Endless hours of pouring over visions, slight snatches of nightmare-filled dreams, small gulps of food, and…

…and of Gerda leaving the room with the rose mirror.

Forcing the image from her mind, Elsa steeled herself. When she spoke, she made sure that her tone was as lifeless as the stone she sat upon.

"You really thought I wouldn't find out."

There was no answer. Then again, it wasn't a question.

Turning around in her stone seat, Elsa's gaze rested emotionlessly upon the warmth of her trusted friend. Not unlike herself, Gerda could mask her eyes as easily as she could. But today was different as Gerda's concern for Elsa and shame for herself battled within the brown orbs. Elsa watched as the conflict grew to such intensity that Gerda faltered. She moved her gaze towards Elsa's hands before dropping it to the floor.

The older woman wore clothing fit for the sudden frost upon the land. A longer-sleeved version of her uniform was donned with a warm scarf and even warmer shoes. Her salt-and-pepper hair was tied in an immaculate bun while her stance slumped ever so slightly. And balanced on a silver tray was her breakfast.

The sight before her made her heart ache: A loyal worker being weighed down by her sins.

The proof laid with the perfect rose that sat within Elsa's gloved fingers.

With the silence stretching on and on, Elsa knew that she had to make things right. Even if it meant facing her faults once again. "Come closer."

The words were spoken to a servant from a queen, and the servant obeyed.

The older woman silently moved with purpose and stood before her young queen, head bowed respectfully. Just as silent, the queen rose and gently set the invaluable flora upon the stone bench. And just as gently, she removed the tray from the servant's hands and placed it alongside the rose.

With the obstacles out of the way, the queen did not hesitate in kneeling before the servant and clasping at her skirts.

The queen felt a small jump run through her dear friend before bowing her crowned head even lower. Moving her head ever so slightly, Elsa spoke to Gerda.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for worrying you. I'm sorry for keeping you away for these three days. I'm sorry for keeping things away from you," Elsa could feel Gerda's hands trying to raise her up, but she wasn't finished yet. "I'm so…so sorry for hurting you. I should have gone to you the moment the Enchantress had left. I should have told you everything I had learned in that night. I made excuse after excuse as to learn more, but they are all worthless in the face of you."

Elsa ignored the warm water dripping down her cheeks as she felt Gerda's skirts shift. A moment later, Gerda's warm arms drag her closer to a warmer heart. Soon, Elsa's face was tucked into Gerda's neck while strong arms refused to move from around Elsa's shoulders.

"I-I though she cursed y-you with that mirror an-and…" Elsa quickly hushed the older woman as hearing the tear-filled voice tore at her heart.

"Shh. I know, I know. Shh."

The pair of women could only guess at how long they remained there for. Healing and holding one another's shaking shoulders, Elsa couldn't help her mind replaying more of her most idiotic decisions. After just being crowned Queen of Arendelle, she locked herself within her room in the pursuit of more knowledge. Making some half-effort excuse of some sickness, the masses must have grumbled and muttered at her already shaky standing as a sole ruler. And for the four souls who would know why she had retreated into solitude, she ignored nearly all contact as her fevered desire to understand burned her.

_Well, I have understanding now… I just had to terrify the ones I love to find it._

Tightening her arms around the woman she loved as a second mother, she spoke up in a gentle voice.

"Gerda, I have much to explain and much to atone for. For you, Kristoff, Sven, Anton, and my queendom."

Meeting water-filled brown with her own equally water-filled blue, Elsa helped her dearest friend from the floor before gently seating themselves on the benched. Silently, the two played the tray between themselves and shared the meal as each one could see the other's slightly hallow cheeks. A few bowls had cooled down greatly, while her favorite sandwich had become slightly soggy.

It was one of the best meals the young queen had ever received.

When many of the cups and plate were empty, Elsa merely switched the tray with the perfect rose. With her sharp eyes, the slight fear and caution in her dearest friend's eyes caused her to speak out once more.

"No, Gerda. I was not cursed in any way. My behavior for the last few days was idiotic and completely my fault. The Enchantress and I talked." Swallowing briefly to clear her throat, Elsa pushed on. "We talked about many subjects that unnerved me to the point of my self-isolation. I wanted to know more, and used the mirror as a way of finding my answers. Now, I do know. But I know at the cost of your concern."

Somehow, Gerda's hands were even warmer than the enchanted rose's presence as her gloved finger were twined with Gerda's.

"Elsa, I've been and always will be proud of you and love you for the beautiful woman that you grew up to be. I also have been and always will worry for you. I see you always learning something new, and that will forever make you stronger." The earnest and loving tone slightly shifted into teasing. "But sometimes, you may need to be pulled from you room to eat."

Without missing a beat, Elsa countered. "That's why I have you, don't I?"

"Yes, you do." Seeing the grin on Gerda's lips made a small smile grow upon Elsa's lips too. But the smile faltered as Elsa's mind decided to remind its host that avoiding the issue never solved anything. Breathing out a solemn sigh, Elsa looked up into Gerda's eyes before speaking.

"There is so much that I have to do. So much that I allowed to slip through the cracks. So much to explain to all of you… but I need to tell you some important issues that I had cemented as fact."

Cradling the rose once more, Elsa could not help but to be drawn in with its beauty. The subtle glow of magic that radiated with warmth, the delicate petals that gleamed with raindrops, the curved thorns, and the softness of the leaves captivated everyone who looked upon it. However, she knew that she had better things to do with her time.

Closing her eyelids, she leaned in before gently whispering a command to the flora.

"Bloom."

With an increasing light battering her closed lid, she waited until the glow began to dim before opening once more. Within her hand was the rose mirror. Almost absentmindedly, Elsa explained to the astonished Gerda.

"The Enchantress had changed the mirror before returning it to me. Now, I can disguise its form and the visions that it produces are much clearer. I'm able to see visions about questions that I've never really got responds to before. But I have asked new questions, and I now have answers. Some of them include you."

Bending close once again, she whispered to the mirror.

"Show me the third secret of seven."

Another soft glow brightened and dimmed before revealing a familiar vision. Shifting closer to share the scene, Elsa observed. Instead of shadows, there were hulking masked men. Instead of falling stars, there were falling tears. Younger versions of Gerda, Sven, Kristoff, and her own mother were dragged, carried, and threatened as they were lead away from the carnage that surrounded House Windhaven. The rough voices clashing with pleaded cries seemed to pierce the quiet air, and made Gerda jump at the unexpectedness. Suddenly, the scene shifted. The still blazing house was far into the distance as a sound of heavy panting grew. Soon, a cloaked man was charging over the hill and running as if hellhounds were nipping at his heels. The cloak's insignia was easily seen as a Windhaven, but the bundle in his arms was harder to distinguish in the gloom.

Harder, but not impossible. Running through a beam of moonlight, more details emerged. The slightly heavyset man was young, and the uniform underneath the dark cloak exposed him as a servant. The bundle was a large blanket that was wrapped around a small child. The child's blue eyes glinted with terror as her red hair was tossed about in the running man's gait.

Just as the man reached the shadows, the vision ended.

In the silence that followed, Elsa set the mirror down before embracing the now shivering woman. Sensing Gerda's shivering, she could only hold her.

"T-They made i-it. They survived! M-My-my…" The woman's cries were of joy. Muffled by her own hand and by Elsa's shoulder, Gerda shook with tearful laughter. Elsa herself allowed a few tears to slip from Gerda's joy at learning the truth: That her husband and her young charge had escaped safely. No matter how much Elsa would had loved to stay in that moment, caring for Gerda and tearfully joyful, she knew that there was more to do. The ever increasing amount of sunlight reaching the earth was a rather telling sign.

"Gerda," The attempt to grab her attention succeeded, as teary brown eyes focused once more. "Gerda, I have much to tell and show you, but we will run out of time." Hating the words that she forced from her mouth, Elsa was grateful for the understanding within Gerda as she quickly got control over her emotions. The older woman's slightly wavering gaze stared at Elsa as the young queen continued.

Gently taking up the rose mirror and leaning close, another command slipped from Elsa's pale lips. "Show me Kai Sollys and Anna Sollys."

With another glowing and dimming of light, the two women watched as a tree was envisioned. Bright green and healthily growing in the summer heat, the tall flora cast plenty of shade for the figure sitting underneath it. A young woman perhaps a few years older than Elsa had fiery hair and a face full of freckles. Despite the lavish gown that she wore, she sat without a care upon the ground seeming to be lost in sketching. Before long, a recognizable heavyset man walked up to and talked with the young woman. The pitch of voices resounded through the air, but the exact words were lost.

While Gerda was lost in tears once again, Elsa had a hard time turning away from the scene. She knew that this was a first for the old maid as this was the first time in years that Gerda could see her husband. Yet, this wasn't the first time that Elsa had seen her sister. Memories from her isolated three days trickled in with images of the young redhead. Horseback riding, sketching, studying, dancing, practicing archery, and many more little scenes trickled in. And within all of the small snippets of the woman's life, never once had the smile not been on her freckled face.

Before long, the vision faded away, leaving the two women in silence. This time, Elsa whispered another command right afterwards.

"Sleep, little rose."

The warm light came and went, leaving behind a delicate rose in Elsa's gloved hands that was safely tucked away into one of her dress pockets.

Grabbing onto the joyous woman's shoulders, another embrace was shared between the two. And by the time it had ended, the sun was just peaking up from the horizon. It was such a picturesque and tranquil scene between the two, but Elsa knew better.

_Just because one knows, doesn't mean one can throw sense out into the sea._

After drying the last of their tears and standing from their stone seats, Elsa had to make sure that Gerda understood that, too.

"Gerda," Hesitantly but steadily, Elsa spoke. "I know that this means the world to you, but we must be careful. A lot of work must be done here before either of us could attempt to fix the banishment that any Royal Family Member of Arendelle has to Corona, let alone traveling to a far-off country. If we ever have a chance to see them again, we'll need to work for it."

"No truer words were spoken, Elsa." The weariness of her tone seemed to contradict the determined gleam that sparkled in Gerda's eyes. Elsa was about to console her old friend, but was abruptly cut off. Gerda's determination seemed to echo in her voice, silencing the young queen.

"Elsa, you've been trying so hard to look after me and care for me with these news… but this is affecting you, too. You are more than just a queen fixing a nation, you're a sister trying to seek a lost sibling." Walking closer, Gerda used her handkerchief to dry off any stray tears while cupping the pale cheek. "We are still here, and always will be. You are a sister to Sven and Kristoff. You are a cheeky niece to Anton. You are a dear and understanding friend to Monsieur D'Aez. And you are the daughter I wished I could have had. Always know that."

Holding in the lasting burn in her eyes and the warmth in her heart, she answered hoarsely as the emotion threatened to clog her voice.

"I know. I won't forget again."

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**AN. They're alive. They're Alive! THEY'RE ALLIIIIIIIIIIVVVVEEE!**

…**Okay, maybe a bit overdramatic, but it's true. Kai and Anna are alive. But… they are in Corona, who are sworn enemies of Arendelle. Hmm… I have a lot of brainstorming to do, but I'm going to love it. But I finally got some more Elsa/Gerda relationship in. They truly are the solid mother/daughter team that they could have been in the film. Oh well, I'll do it here.**

**As always: comments, concerns, and ****informed**** critiques are welcomed. **_**Queen Martha Pond, **_**Trust me. I feel your pain. The reason I loved Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas as much as the original was on the little scene that actually showed the Enchantress cursing Adam. Sometimes, I cheat and use YouTube to rewatch it. **_**ShadowWofBeast, **_**I'm completely with you on that. The Enchantress rocks! And **_**Zobek, **_**I absolutely adore the Enchantress too. I just hoped that I did her justice.**

**So, until next time Au revoir.**


	18. Glowing Hope

**Testing, testing. 1, 2, 3… Testing. Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen.**

**Another Thursday, another chapter. Wait- its FRIDAY! BLASTPHAMY!**

**Well, not really. My little Wi-Fi box quit on me. :*( Don't ask me why, because I really don't know myself. After lots of complaining and tears, I had to get it replaced. But, better late than never, and this is the part of my tale that I've been dying to write. Lots of ideas and I've finally managed to narrow down a few of them. Hope you all like it.**

**Also, a quick announcement: No update next Thursday. College just took out a chunk of free-time that I had for my writing. Next, next Thursday is my next update.**

**Without further ado, Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. .gnihton nwo I**

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Chapter 18: Glowing Hope

"This is madness-"

"Your Majesty, ther-"

The harsh snapping of a quill.

"We might as well just roll over an-"

Elsa should have been used to this by now. The mutterings, arguing, and the pointed gazes of eyes were nothing new. Oh, but how they still grated on her nerves. And having several of these voices belted right into her ears only made then tightening in her shoulders increase.

_Gods above, have mercy on me._

Though they probably never would, it was never wrong to ask.

Still, she knew that she was being slightly greedy. The want to escape from the stuffy room was always stifling, yet no divine intervention came or would come from above to deliver her from the chaos. She has had many lessons in patience, far too many in her opinion. But after twenty-five years in life, she knew how to utilize every single last one of them.

And now was an excellent time to practice her lessons with her council. Allowing the loud words to flow right over her head, Elsa observed her rather small council. With only six others sharing the table with her, she allowed her eyes to wander around.

To her left were a matching pair of brunettes that represented the Advisors of Internal Affairs. The Gabble twins were always an odd pair to Elsa. Although nearly identical at first glance, the British-born twins' energies conflicted and encouraged one another. Now, the two remained as silent as their Queen at the increasing shouting. Gazing past the eye-catching blue and pink, Elsa gaze at the loudest of the shouters. The loyal, proud, and courageous Military Advisor Tiberius Rourke. A soldier, through and through, and that made Elsa keep a very close eye on him. Looking beyond the hulking man, she spotted the dual frames of her newest council members, Royal Treasurer Ursula Havet and External Affairs Advisor Olaf Krystall. The heavy-set older woman and the wispy young man were near opposites in appearances, yet spoke with the same strength.

Her eyes lingered slightly at the younger man. Easily identified as the youngest of the seven within the room, the boyish enthusiasm was easily identified within Olaf, too. Ambition, wit, and youth were easily incorporated within the young advisor as well as within his predecessor.

_However, Mr. Krystall is here, while Avestrong rots in a hole. A fine ending for a rat: returned to its natural habitat._

Doing her best to smother the smirk at the thought, she smothers the memories for a while longer before returning to her gazing. And last but not least, she glanced to her immediate right to reveal the Royal Spymaster Monsieur D'Aez, and with only a glance at the broken quill in his fingers, she knew that he was in deep disapproval. Disapproval at the increasing shouting, what she had just proposed, or both, Elsa couldn't know. But she could take an educated guess.

_Ow._

At the moment, she had to do something to stop the ever-increasing pressure in her skull. So with a raised hand and a steel-tinted voice, she spoke.

"That's enough."

The silence was immediate, and with it, a small spurt of pride wormed its way into Elsa's heart. She had earned that silence. She had earned the respect that it represented. She could easily remember the first week as Queen of Arendelle was mostly corralling her counsel. A headache of a week, but it was not in vain. Each and every advisor that sat before her knew that her word was law.

Her authority was proven by her blood and by her actions over the past four years, and so the Queen continued to speak with the authority ingrained within her voice.

"If I wanted to bicker with children, I would go to the nearest orphanage to do so. Sadly, I really do not have the time to waste. The invitation's requires a reply soon. Right now, I need the experienced opinion of adults, which is clearly not what I am receiving." Glancing at the only clock within the room, she continued. "It's already a quarter past four and I am in need of rested minds, not heated tempers. Let us adjourn for today and stew over the proposal. We shall proceed tomorrow, same time and room."

The dismissal was clear to all as they unquestionably rose from their seats to exit from the room. But she wasn't finished. With a small flick of her hand, Elsa caught the eye of her spymaster.

"_Not you, D'Aez."_

The silence command was heard through the sounds of footsteps echoing out of the enclosed room and was soon followed by the thump of the shutting door. The shuffling of a chair and the slight creaking of the floorboards. Then, silence once again.

"I apologize for the quill. It was a rather lovely one." And it was. The dark feather had hints of deep blue and gold accents around the metal tip. The same metal tip was currently attached to the lower severed shaft of the unfortunate feather, rendering the utensil useless. However, a shake of the head dismissed any care for the object. A few gestures with his withered hands nearing his face created a sentence.

"_No, I was surprised."_

The silent statement was understood perfectly as the two continued their discussion.

"Edward, do be honest with me. You think this is a horrible idea?"

A blunt nod was all she gained in return.

A quiet sigh blew from her nose while one dainty gloved hand rested upon an envelope. Its crisp paper was faintly perfumed with sea salt and leather. While the letter looked important enough, the royal seal upon the wax had barely raised everyone's attention. The iconic seal of the French was a well-known and well-loved sight of Arendelle's lucrative business partner. It was the Queen's proposal from the letter that raised up hell from her advisors.

"You're angry, aren't you?" She said. D'Aez merely responded with a repetition of the symbol for surprised, but that wasn't what she was asking. Clarifying the following information was not going to be pleasant by any means, but it was a bit overdue.

"You and I both know each other enough to know that is not what I meant."

The jade green and ice blue of their gazes locked for a moment before the stillness moved. D'Aez had opened his jacket and produced another metal-tipped quill. Reaching for the nearby ink and paper, he quickly scrawled a small phrase. This piqued Elsa's interest. Usually, the two were able to converse almost fluently in their odd silent language. To write down a statement, either he was using words that they had not translated or he was making a rather long statement.

"_Meeting Corona is a bad idea. King Gustav will no doubt avoid the occasion if he gets a single whiff that you are attending as well."_

The flowing script was as clear and as blunt as Elsa had expected of her spymaster.

"And that, dear Edward, is where you come in. You make sure that no Coronian hounds find out that I will be attending the christening." Breathing in, she went on. "With this being Arendelle's first public appearance in over two decades, it's going to attract attention. I-I know that I am asking much from you, but…"

Elsa's words faltered and faded away before she could do anything about it. Speaking the words aloud did not make the situation before her any easier. Over the years, Arendelle had gain a rather far-reaching reputation of isolation. No advisor of Arendelle had left the small kingdom in over twenty years. While Arendelle did maintain good relations with its remaining partners, all contact was through letters or having dignitaries coming into their kingdom. Elsa held no doubt that her Father's doing was what caused the kingdom to retreat into the frozen north. The security and control over the northern seas must have been a bliss to the late King, but for the new Queen, it was just another obstacle to overcome.

_Adding that into my own agenda…it's going to be a nightmare of a job._

A knock on wood drew the young Queen out of her thoughts. Blinking up, she carefully watched as D'Aez's face and hands drew out a sentence in the air.

"_But we must start to be able to continue, yes?"_

A nod. "Although there could have been better opportunities for this, France's new born prince is the best excuse we have as to return to the rest of the world. Continuing this standoff will cause nothing but trouble for us-"

A raise of his wrinkled hand stopped Elsa as D'Aez made another statement. _"But why Corona? Why now?"_

The gloved hands tightened upon themselves, making the leather squeak slightly. Over the years that she got to know the older gentleman, Elsa knew that D'Aez was a genius of a man. He was born to a spymaster, because he was a master. With a miniature army of informants, not much was out of the Royal Spymaster's reach. Any and all details that were brought before him were soaked into that mind of this and were thoroughly shredded for any and all information. Accompany the intuition with his years of experience and D'Aez was a force to be reckoned with.

The fact that she was able to keep secrets from the Frenchman brought no pride to Elsa's heart.

"The big question. Why." The soft words were filled with a faint longing. One that Elsa was sure that D'Aez could hear. Even so, she couldn't stop herself from gazing at the man. Analyzing him. More grey had appeared upon any facial hair that grew, while the skin on his face grew loose. His fitted suit clung to a fit, if withered frame. A straightened back and folded hands showed patience of his years, while his eyes seem to spill with knowledge. A fair man whom Elsa had kept at an arm's distance for far too long.

_If not maintain, everything crumbles sooner or later. But I want this wall to fall._

Elsa's words were still soft as she spoke again. "It's simple to understand everything when you have all the pieces to a picture." A rueful smile twitched on her lips. "But you've probably figured out that I haven't given out all of the pieces, yet."

Perhaps there was something within her voice that slipped, because D'Aez grew still. Whatever was expressed within those words, Elsa didn't know.

"Edward D'Aez, you're not a stupid man. You're a very intelligent man, a man in which I am happy and proud to call a friend. So, an intelligent man like you knows that old habits don't want to die; they fight against death with all of their might. My family…my family has old habits. Ones that are still living to this very day." Raising up from her seat, she never breaks eye contact. "Hopefully you can help me kill this one."

A harsh clicking of a lock sliding home suddenly split the air. But only D'Aez's was startled. Elsa's mind was far from the odd sound as she walked around the long table, closing curtains until she reached the other side. With the afternoon sun rejected from the room, Elsa took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the gloom. With that accomplished, she took a seat right next to D'Aez.

Within her mind's eye, she could just picture Kristoff and Sven guarding the doors from the outside.

_Well, some old habits have to stay alive._

The irony statement echoed out through her lips before she could catch herself. Worried that she may have unsettle the man more than she should, she tried to speak out, but was cut off. A sway of the hands and movement from the face made another sentence come out.

"_You know that I am here to serve." _The shakiness of the fingertips did not escape Elsa's eyes. Although very disturbed, D'Aez fought to hide it.

"No, Edward. I'm not a witch," Her attempt at humor fell as she finished her sentence. "I simply met one. A very powerful one. An enchantress that both I and King Adam have met."

At the name of his former king, D'Aez's fingers curled onto themselves and tightened. White veins stood out from his skin, while his green eyes had widened in shock. This time, Elsa waited for his response. And wait she did. Gazing at one another, their measured gazes tried to fish clues from each other's depths. Ice and earth stood strong as the wills of both sides were honed to near perfection: one through age while another through pain.

Unnaturally steady hands rose to say two words.

_You jest._

Elsa didn't reply. She didn't even acknowledge the silent phrase. But she knew that D'Aez understood as her emotionless façade was armed. But after a time, she did turn around in her chair. Reaching into one of the more hidden dress pockets, she withdrew a tube. Just smaller than the length of her forearm and about as thick, the copper glinted with the newly added spotlight. The smooth surface was spotless, and at the end, there was a small wheel. Without any further ado, Elsa turned the wheel to a side and soundlessly opened the parcel.

Hearing the subdued gasp to her left, Elsa's eyes remained fixed upon the rose that was settled within. Its near-hypnotic glow was as strong as ever while the glittering dewdrops hung perfectly from each lush petal. Delicately plucking the flower from its resting place, she set the empty parcel upon the desk while keeping the warm flower within her gloved hands. Risking a glance, she saw an awed D'Aez's jaw swing a bit before leaning forward to whisper to the flora.

"Bloom."

A jump came from next to her as the flawless rose glowed. Becoming brighter by the second, Elsa squinted her eyes until the light faded once more. In her grasp was the rose mirror. It was a near-exact replica of its sister, waiting in France.

"There is a reason why the symbol for the Royal Family of France is now the rose." A shocked D'Aez was stiff within his chair as she continued. "I always wondered why the good King Adam went into such a rage all those years ago. I really couldn't understand. So, for many years, I thought of him as a beastly man. But I took some time and asked the right questions… and I got some answers."

Seeing the outright shock on the man's face, she felt a sharp throb in her heart. It bothered her to no end and she knew why. She hated the slight fear that prickled within his eyes, because she had felt that type of terror. The fear of the unknown. The concern and care softened her façade enough to show through in her next words.

"You didn't believe their false story, did you?" Memories of that story bubbled in the back of her mind. The castle falling to ruin from a coup d'état, the prince shipped off to some remote island, his miraculous return to his homeland; et cetera, et cetera. When really, the truth was covered up by a beautiful façade.

Her soft tone seemed to bring back the Frenchman from his mind as he gazed at his Queen. Mentally shaking himself and reaching for his quill, he wrote out a phrase onto the paper.

"_My younger cousin was trapped within that castle for a decade."_

_Of course…_

"The kidnappers didn't want Queen Belle. They wanted the mirror that she had." Even if she had asked a question, all she needed was the look in D'Aez's eyes to know the truth.

…_and to keep you quiet, he took your tongue._

"I wasn't supposed to know of the sister mirror or anything at all from the Royal French Family. Do you remember my first week after my coronation?" A nod with a slightly less frightful gaze was given. "It was a hectic week as I used that time to dive into the mirror, asking it multiple questions during those three days. On the second day, I happened to ask the right questions and discovered that there was another family who had encountered the same Enchantress."

Looking over, she saw that he had calmed greatly. The secret of his maiming was no longer his to bear. His eyes glinted wetly with held-in tears. A vulnerability cracked open in the old man's eyes at what he had found: familiarity and understanding. It pulled horrifically at her heart so greatly that the next words began to spill out.

"I have done so much over the years, but it's not enough. I've removed corrupt politicians, fixed roads, and increasing the wealth in my homeland. But all is meaningless if the people I care for most suffer." Bowing her head, she speak broke slightly. "I-I can never make up for the wasted years that I've kept you in the dark. I can only-"

A small sense of vertigo rushed through her at the actions that robbed her voice. A pair of withered hands gentle grasped at her gloved ones in an almost exact replication of her first meeting with her friend. His green eyes were warm as a silent phrase shone from their depths.

"_I understand."_

Looking with her own wet eyes, she offered the gentleman the mirror.

"I know that you can't return with me to France, but you can still see your family. If you wish it so."

And within the gloom and dust of an enclosed room, soft light pulsed with a command.

* * *

**AN. FRANCE, HERE WE COME!**

**But I still feel pretty shitty for this being a day off. Please know that I don't really like this and I've kind of been pacing back and forth for my Wi-Fi box for the entire day. Combine that with college, and I've been a wreck. My updates may have to go permanently to bi-weekly, so I'll keep you guys in the know.**

**Oh, and a fun quiz: Can you guess who is D'Aez's cousin? I don't know either, but I got a few ideas. And i love the cameos on this chapter. I could stop giggling as I added in Elsa's counsil. :D**

**As always: comments, concerns, and ****informed**** critiques are welcomed. **_**Queen Martha Pond, **_**I really love getting into the relationships within my stories. That's when my obsessions with slice-of-life shines through. **_**ShadowWofBeast**_**, you're going to make me blush! But thank you for the awesome complements. And **_**Zobek, **_**I know. The FEELS! And **_**Frozen789**_**, I did think about that route, but I'm going for a bit more espionage kind of route. Just stick around for a bit and I'll explain.****;)**

**So, until next time Au revoir.**


	19. Heat and Chills

**I'M ALIVE! …Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. **

**It just feels so good to be updating this story again. It feels like forever… but I might as well say this: I'm permanently on a biweekly update schedule. College is an inspiration killer, but I have to do it. :*( **

**Also, kind of a short-ish chapter. It will be getting better than this, you all have my word. Still… another two weeks means another chapter, so without further ado, Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. .gnihton nwo I**

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Chapter 19: Heat and Chills

_Flowers and salt. _

_The breeze carried the odd mixture of aromas around and around. Breathing in deeply, a blond strand of hair tickled her nose. A soft and small hand brushed the offending lock of hair behind her ear. _

_Yet, it was not her own hand._

_The hand before her eyes was freckled and unfamiliar. Its warm touch barely brushed against her forehead and made her look up. Up and up into twin pools of water._

_The twin pools blinked. Sparkling and full of life, they smile at her. She could stare at the water for ages… almost not noticing how the vibrant hue began to dim to a dull gray and then to darkness._

Darkness that suddenly gives way to light that stings her eyes.

Blinking rapidly, Elsa's sleep-heavy mind struggles to remember where she was at the moment. Blurry half-thoughts are tossed with the heaving of the room, and the perpetuate beam of light straight into her pupils are no help whatsoever. Quickly ducking her head underneath her cover, she fervently wish the room to not continually increase the intensity of the lights.

_Wait, how…?_

The thought made her eyes wide with recollection, but before she could move, a loud voice shouted from directly next to her.

"Up, now!"

A sigh passed through her lips, bringing in the scent of woolen sheets to her nose. A niggling spark of annoyance twisted its way into her thoughts as the fluffy blankets that shielded her was suddenly gone. Blinded once again, the great Queen Elsa of Arendelle, First of Her Name, begged.

"Mercy. Have mercy, Gerda." Her plaintive voice held no ounce of command that it usually held. The elderly woman in question merely tugged at the sleeves of Elsa's nightdress.

"If I remember correctly, I was specifically ordered by a certain Queen to not show any sort of mercy during the entirety of the upcoming fortnight." Elsa remembered that, too.

_Damn me._

Cutting through Elsa's sleep-deprived brain, Gerda continued to nudge her charge out of bed. "Now, up. We have a long day ahead of us."

The normally sharp-minded queen of her wintery kingdom was not responding in any way, shape, or form. With the pale woman flopping back onto the bed, she muttered, "You are a cruel woman."

The tugging on the sleeves persisted for only a few moments more before ceasing. Gerda's older age and occupation gave the elder strength and wisdom, but not enough to drag a fully grown woman out of bed. Knowing this, Elsa's eyes crept close once again. Unfortunately, she underestimated the wisdom granted to her old friend.

With the sound of footsteps retreating, Elsa drew up an arm to plunge her eyes into darkness once again. And as the action was barely completed, the footsteps returned with a vengeance. A vengeance of ice water. As the young Queen's vision was blocked, the threat of the large bucket filled to the brim with water went undetected.

That was until Gerda dumped it all over Queen Elsa.

_What…_

The heavy silence pregnant with danger would have descended if not for Gerda's continuing motions. The now-awake Elsa put up no fight as she was tugged into a sitting position. Chips of ice focused on the assaulter as she was disrobed and roughly dried off with a towel pulled from gods knows where.

"Merciless." The tone was dead.

"Orders from royalty." The tone was lively and full of mirth. Elsa was cut off from any further objections as her royal assaulter nudged her to her feet and wrapped the towel around her naked frame.

"Your dress and cloak are on the table. Breakfast is bread, dried meat, and tea. The carriage is ready for your arrival. We shall leave within the hour, or you shall walk your way to Reims."

And without another glance back, Gerda hefted the empty bucket over one shoulder and the soaked nightdress in another as she left the room.

The heavy silence returned as the elderly woman's steps echoed down the hallway. The icy blue eyes followed the sounds as if they could see through the walls and at her awakener. Smothering the deeply imbedded annoyance, she repeated.

"Merciless."

Deep breaths were taken before the towel was unwrapped once again. The cool draft within the room made gooseflesh of her pale skin while she attended to her still damp hair. The pale blond locks were twisted and bent to squeeze out large drops of lingering moisture before repeating the movements to dry them. All the while, more deep breaths filled up Elsa's lungs easing the irritation and the anxiety.

_I did ask for this. Remember. I did ask for this._

And remember she did as Elsa's memories swamped her mind. Her farewells to two of her small family, the packing, the departure, the ship, and so much more swam to and fro. Only Elsa herself could make any sense of the chaotic thoughts.

Having finally made her choice known, she had sent the French monarchs a reply with Kristoff and Sven. That was over a week ago and a week of sleep was lost. Though it was a crucial decision, the move unsettled the young Queen. Even surrounded by the best soldiers that the kingdom could train, it held nothing in comparison to the cousins' presence. But she had to make sure Corona remained in the dark, and she had no better soldiers than them.

After settling the council and leaving the kingdom to their hands, she followed soon after. Luck was with Elsa as she remembered the swift winds that assisted the ship in sailing away from the only home she knew and headed south.

_Fate is certainly convenient in that regard._

Ripping herself away from the snarky thoughts, she took a brief glance around the room she was in. It was sparse in exemption of a bed, table, and a fireplace. An unlit fireplace, to be exact. Even now in the early morning, the warmth of the country was stifling to the Nordic woman. Her eyes drifted from the open windows streaming with the early light to the table occupied with her clothes for the day and her breakfast.

Striding over, she shifted the cloth around until her hand brushed up against a smooth metal cylinder and a rough paper. Reaching for the metallic object and carefully drawing her hand back, she pulled out the new home of the enchanted rose. She stared at the container for a moment before replacing it back within the folds of clothing. She had no need to open it to check upon the artifact. She only needed to closed her eyes and ever so slightly concentrate to feel the unnatural warmth of the copper.

Mindlessly changing into her attire, she dove back into her mind. Instead of the circumstances surrounding her departure, she thought of her family. Leaving behind Anton and D'Aez did little in terms of relieving her stretched nerves. The two wise men had different parts within Elsa's life, but both were important. Anton's knowledge of Arendelle helped in creating his healing techniques and soothing tonics while seeing a glimpse of the common man's life in her queendom. D'Aez's knowledge of the majority of the world granted Elsa a rare insight of the lands that surrounded her. Both men were infinitely better than all of her tutors within her life combined, and being from them left an ache near her heart.

Nevertheless, it seemed that simply being in the same country as the beloved brothers put her at ease. This morning being proof enough as is Gerda's response. Her friend had seen the restlessness that plagued Elsa through the passing days, and Elsa had not missed the slight relief in the older woman's gaze at the impromptu and abrupt awakening.

Unable to stifle a small smile, she quickly ate at the small meal before her. She focused a bit too much on the meal as to avoid the lingering desire for a home-cooked meal. The French cooking techniques showed through easily and reminded Elsa all too well of where she currently was. The city of Beauvais was easily visible from the window as Elsa glanced at it. Remaining on the outskirts of the city was their only option as they shopped for the food and supplies necessary for the remainder of their journey.

_And to pick them up._

Now having a larger smile etched to her lips, Elsa cleaned up as best she could and checked over herself. The dark dress she wore was wealthy, but not one for a queen, and that was the intent. She worked out that passing by as a visiting dignitary would be best as they journeyed to Reims. She grudgingly accepted that her Father's isolation of the kingdom was beneficial as nearly no soul outside of Arendelle knew of her features, except of her extremely noticeable pale hair. A simple cloak would hide her well and with the rather unassuming dress, she easily passed as a dignitary of some unknown place.

Her soft silk gloves were replaced with leather as they dipped into the secretly sown pockets of her dress. Elsa heard the paper of D'Aez's letter rustle against the enchanted rose's case as she shifted them around. A smaller piece of parchment brushed against her fingers and she instinctively grabs it. As she drew it out, she reread D'Aez's handwritten request.

"_It's to my cousin. If possible, please meet her alone. She deserves to know more than from my letter that I'm alive and well." _

Almost hearing D'Aez's lost voice echoing the request, she carefully tucked the paper back with its companions as her search continued.

Kneeling down toward her feet, she reached into the boots that had replaced her elegant shoes. The leather of the gloves brushed against the handles of her twin blades secretly hidden within. A small memory of her seventeenth birthday flashed in her mind's eye. How Sven and Kristoff had ordered the steel weapons made uniquely for her brought a glimmer to her eye. Standing up once more to shake off the memory, she quickly controlled her hair into a simple bun. Somewhat sloppy and unoriginal, it fit perfectly with her disguise.

A knock at the door was all the warning she had before Gerda pounced back in. A traveling cloak was already on the older woman's shoulders and her eyes traced her disguised charge. Quickly reaching for the last article of clothing that Elsa had yet to put on, Gerda adjusted the light cloak quickly on her shoulders.

"Ready?" Gerda asked somewhat unnecessarily, but Elsa guessed that the question held more than its face value.

"As I'll ever be." Quickly picking up her bag of essentials, disguised servant and royalty exited the room and made their way out of the inn they had stayed in for the night. Stepping out into the warmer air, she could help herself from shift slightly. The heat was uncomfortable already, but with the cloak, it became more so.

Stepping around the inn, she soon came up to a parked carriage. As modest and unnoticeable as possible, the carriage was about the size of her temporary room and was already hooked up to four draft horses. Before she could enter, however, she was nudged from behind by a warm nuzzle.

Turning around, she was met with warm brown eyes settled within an elongated snout. Beaming openly, she allowed herself to caress Kristoff's cheek and be hugged by Sven. No words were said or had to be spoken as the group reunited with the ones they treasured the most in the world. Being released from the confines of Sven's arms, Elsa just caught Kristoff shake out his… now shorter coat. She mused at the oddity.

_It's far too short for normal shedding. I've seen Kristoff's coat for years and it's never been that short._

Looking at Sven, he answered the question within her eyes.

"He hated the heat, so I shaved some of it off." Looking between the smug man and the annoyed reindeer, she knew there was something more to his claim. The hard knock of a bony antler against a human skull only reaffirmed it.

"Some?"

"He started complaining a lot after we left Le Havre and didn't stop until yesterday." An irritated snort sounded before Sven ended up face first into the dew-covered dirt. With her many years with the two of them, she knew that a good wrestling match would be unavoidable at that point, but before one could go underway, Gerda's voice cut through.

"Come children. We have not the time to waste. We can bicker about this and that when we return home."

"The coast was better than here. Much more wind to fluff up your coat." Sliding up to Kristoff, she gave one more caress as she whispered to the reindeer. In return, Kristoff shook out his coat as if to emphasize the ragged cuts into his once uniformed coat.

Turning away after a final rub, she could just hear Sven promising to 'borrow' a better pair of shears to clean up his horrendous fur-cutting job. Another knock of bone against antler sounded as she climbed into the carriage. Gerda joined her as the two women settle into their seats. Before long, the carriage moved out of the inn and was directed east.

With the windows shut, Elsa's mind had no distraction to grab onto as it began its descent into wandering around possibilities. The possible repercussions of the future meeting with King Gustav, the use of France as some midway point, D'Aez's letter, the rose mirror, and the entirety of this task did not hesitate as they swam into her mind once again. Only Gerda's voice cutting through the din brought her back into the present.

"Almost there." The words were cautiously optimistic as Gerda's voice remained level. Reaching out to the one she called her maid, friend, and mother, Elsa took off her own glove to intertwine their hands.

"And yet so far away."

Both women knew that the trip was only the beginning in fixing the past, even if everything went as smoothly as possible. The notion alone sent cold fear rippling down Elsa's spine. But they also knew that they were together, and with the grace of the gods, they would see this through to the end.

With their four hearts beating in tune, the group made their way east.

* * *

**AN. FRANCE, HERE WE ARE!**

**But it's more of a quiet entrance into the country. Maybe she's paranoid, but I know I would be too if I had to be in that situation. **

**Oh, and if anyone is interested, look up a map of France. The French cities I referenced are real. Le Havre, Beauvais, and Reims are a few cool places that I want to visit in my lifetime. You can almost trace where they're going, and you can also see that next chapter means confrontation time. Or I hope since my brains gonna be working overtime. Darn you, college. ****Also, my schedules now I'm biweekly, so it's going to be next, next Thursday.**

**As always: comments, concerns, and informed critiques are welcomed. Queen Martha Pond, sorry. D'Aez's cousin is a woman. Try again. ShadowWofBeast, thank you for the encouraging words. I hope to dive more into France when the christening starts, but for now, Elsa now needs to stay incognito. Zobek, I've had a few guesses, but no one has been close to seeing who I choose as D'Aez's cousin. And Frozen789, I do love those two. I especially love D'Aez so much that sometimes I can't believe that he's my OC.**

**So, until next time Au revoir.**


	20. Messages

**Good Afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. **

**I hope you all are having as great a day as I am. Seriously, I can't stop smiling over the fact that I got 20 chapters of this story out. W.O.W.**

**And I like this one. It has a good feeling to it, so I hope you all like it, too.**

**Still… another two weeks means another chapter, so without further ado, Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. .gnihton nwo I**

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Chapter 20: Messages

The atmosphere was genial and warm to the touch. Although, the oppressive warmth of the French countryside remained in the back of her mind, the celebration grew to nearly rival nature's force.

_But not completely._

The silent sigh was accompanied by the swift movement of her hand. Patting the back of her neck and her temples with a handkerchief, the inexperience of using the cloth was hidden by her graceful and gloved hands. There was not much need to use a handkerchief since her homeland was naturally cool in the summer and bitterly cold during the winter, but it never hurt to be taught something new.

So, she was taught plenty throughout her life. She was taught the many foreign languages of her allies, the intricacies of politics and war, and the way of life within her own home. Nevertheless, the sole lesson that she kept close to her heart was the power of a façade.

The one she wore now could be compared to the ancient Roman statues, yet it neither had their imperfections or faults.

She knew that her pale skin and equally pale hair stood out from the warmth of the ball, but the rest of herself blended right in. A crystal goblet was filled to the brim in her right hand while her left hand waved to and fro as she spoke. Her stance conveyed openness as she spoke from one dignitary to another princess.

She was an oddity within the festivities, and a very apparent one. The waves of tanned skin and colored hair did little to hide her, but she had no need to. To each and every one she had meet in the night, she was a charming lady of a foreign land. Witty, graceful, and exotically beautiful, not may questioned her farther than the typical questions of herself and her isolated home.

Not one of the many inquirers at the ball could see her ice-like eyes taking apart any and every aspect of themselves.

Not one of the many inquirers at the ball could see how she steered the subjects of the conversation into the way she wished.

Not one of the many inquirers at the ball could see her refusals at a dance as something more.

Not a single one could see all the information she had stored and was continuing to add behind her glittering eyes.

Truly, to create a mask and to read another's was her greatest and oldest lesson. A lesson that made the Queen of Arendelle at ease within the crowds of people.

She kept up with the camaraderie and the laughs as best she could. Her beautiful laugh and smooth voice traveled throughout the ballroom, but she was not infallible.

_It's a good thing that I don't need to be, as none of them know me._

But the night was far from over and her task was the same.

With her perked senses and silver tongue, Elsa slowly made her way across the ballroom. With a smile lifting her cheeks and the candles lighting up her eyes, she did not need to spend any energy in pin-pointing her target. A voice that would be at home in a theater laughed from the southern end of the ballroom and Elsa followed the laughter like a hound on the hunt.

And at the end of the trail laid her quarry, Madame Armoire de la Grande Bouche.

The older French woman a sight to behold even in comparison to herself. Her alto voice was not timid or soft by any means, and neither as the woman herself. The woman looked to be as tall as Elsa, though not as slender. As she neared, Elsa examined more of the woman. Her curly gray-brown hair was pulled into an elegant bun as her face was adorn with rouge and eye shadow.

However, they seemed to pale in comparison when Elsa's eyes strayed to the dress she wore. Elegantly and tediously made was what first came into Elsa's mind. The green dress was easily seen to be made by an expert. Each golden stitch was beautifully blended with the green fabric of the skirt. The corset was equally adorned and brilliantly made as well as the sleeves that rested at the elbows of the large woman.

And finally stepping up front to the woman, Elsa had no doubt as to who made the dress as her eyes flitted to the lady's arms. The strong muscles and calluses of her hands spoke of years of training and work of a genius. Clearly, the lady had earned her stay within the castle as the mistress of fabric.

Dimly noting the slight prickling near her hip, Queen Elsa spoke with a smooth tone to the lady in perfect French. "Madame de la Grande Bouche, I hope you are having a lovely afternoon."

"Your Majesty, it's an honor." The look of mixed surprise and welcome was tilted down as she curtsied. A spark of copper that was lit in the candlelight made Elsa smile with ease.

"The honor is all mine. I have not stopped hearing of the talented artist that resides within the castle." The flattery was more like a fact as the French woman had a great reputation with her skills. Nevertheless, the words were sweet on her tongue, and sweeter to the French woman's ears.

Still, she had a task to complete and Elsa would damn herself before breaking her promise. So, she continued speaking about this and that. Nonsense and news were shared between the women as the men around them soon filed away. Both had been entertaining whomever they met for the night, which left them a moment to themselves. A moment Elsa used to guide and nudge the other woman through the double door that led to a small balcony.

However, she could not help the care that grew in her heart for the woman. This day was a celebration of a prince's birth and was a night of joy. Despite the coldness Elsa retained within her own heart, she could not call that silent aloofness now. The women's shared camaraderie would not allow it.

From the corner of her eye, she spotted a handsomely dressed Sven moving to stand at the threshold to the balcony while nursing a goblet of his own. Secure with her target, she waited patiently as the lady finished off a tale of her childhood discovery of her talent.

Apparently, she was born as an only child as her parents died from sickness while she was still young. She was then raised by her grandmother and cousin. While being taught the skill of dressmaking from her grandmother, she died of old age. From then on, the 'cousin' supported her throughout doubts and hardships to become the creative artist that she was today.

Elsa could do nothing to stop the smile on her face.

"Madame, I would-"

"Please, do call me Armoire. Madame makes me sound far too old."

"Very well, Armoire. I would like to meet this cousin of yours. He sounds to be a marvelous man to meet. Is he nearby?" Although she tried to keep her voice light, her uncertainty at the situation made her put a slight hint of steel to keep her tone steady. She had no idea as to her reaction to D'Aez's letter, but she was going to find out.

"Oh." Merriment and happiness neatly sparked out from her eyes, and somewhere within Elsa's own heart twisted. "No, he is not here and I have not spoken to him in years. I can only pray for his joy and future."

"What if I can tell you where he is? Would you be angry at me?" Carefully reading the woman's hazel eyes with her own icy orbs, Elsa only read a slight suspicion, old pain, and even curiosity within them.

The silence persisted as Elsa carefully reached into her cleverly-hidden dress pocket, her gloved fingers ignored the metal to brush up against paper. Pulling out the blank envelope, Elsa neatly handed it to the lady besides her. Despite the caution in her eyes, Madame Armoire's hands could not take the letter any faster when her eyes landed upon the seal.

The seal in question had also peaked her interest. Though she had never opened the letter through respect of D'Aez, she had seen how odd it was. The wax itself was pale red, almost pink, in color and had an intricate design imbedded into it: a swirling bow. Though it was meaningless to Elsa herself, it was not hard to see that the design meant the world to Armoire.

With gleaming wet eyes looking at her, Elsa produced her handkerchief and her gentlest smile as to comfort the woman.

"For your eyes. We would not want for your masterpiece to be ruined."

Trembling fingers took her handkerchief and Elsa settled herself to wait. She waited through the trembling shoulders and the stuttering breathing until a wavering voiced asked.

"H-how?"

"D'Aez lives in peace within Arendelle." Pausing slightly to breathe in, she cautioned. "I would advise as to reading it whenever you are alone. A celebration is no place for tears." Softening her eyes and her voice in relief, she stepped towards the trembling woman. As Elsa took back her handkerchief, she began to dap carefully around Armoire's eyes. Smiling gently into Armoire's green-sprinkled gaze, she could not stop thinking of D'Aez's own green eyes as she spoke again.

"I must be going as I have things I must do tonight. As I do, feel free to approach me for anything as a friend of D'Aez is a friend of mine." Leaving Armoire to her thoughts and her letter, Elsa walked back into the stuffy room.

With barely a step inside, she felt an arm intertwine with her own while taking away her still full goblet. But she had no fear as only one would dare to approach her in that way. So, with a gentle smile, Elsa met Sven's brown gaze as she allowed him to lead her into a dance. Although the dance itself was unfamiliar, it was simple enough for the two of them to join in.

As the slow tune wrapped around the pair, Sven broke the silence between them first.

"For the first time in this month, you looked relieved."

Snarking back, she countered with her own native Norwegian. "And for the first time in forever, you have bathed." The course laughter from the older man made her heart light. But it wasn't meant to last.

"Despite my amazing cleanliness, I know that you've noticed something else tonight."

Closing her eyes in annoyance, she conceded in defeat. Throughout the entire night, she had noticed it. She had seen the Royal Family of Corona from the cathedral where the newly born prince was baptized two days before. Even now, she could still remember the smell of old incense, the chanting of the priest, and the shock on King Gustav's face. The King of Corona was not expecting her, but knew of her.

And if his early departure from the festivities said anything, it would be his desire to stay away from her.

"You really do stand out in a crowd." The words made her curse silently at her hair. Any Nordic woman would stand out from the crowded cathedral, but Elsa's white locks easily identified her as Queen of Arendelle. Despite her isolated home, every nation would have known that fact.

"Yes, I do. That is why I always have a secondary route ready for me." Dancing amide the groups of people, no one but the two could listen to one another.

"And your second plan includes what exactly?"

She did not reply to Sven. Instead, she tilted her head towards the hosting Royal family. King Adam was handsomely clothed in blue, while Queen Belle was radiant in her golden dress. The pair were clearly experience as the two danced as one without any stutters or stops.

Sven's tone was annoyed as he spoke again. "I know it includes them, but how? Unless you're planning for sabotage, King Adam and Queen Belle won't be interested in helping us with this."

"Oh, they will. Trust me."

_Oh, they definitely will._

Although this was her first time meeting either one of the Royal family in person, she still had an upper hand with the rose mirror and the knowledge it had granted her. Before she could sink deeper into her musings, Sven spoke up once again.

"Will the great and powerful Elsa reveal her secrets to this humble man?" The addition of the glittering eyes that reminded her all too much of a puppy pulled her out of her gloomy mood.

Not entirely concealing her snort, she responded. "Faith, trust, and a dash of magic is all I need. But since you are ever so curious, I have arranged a casual meeting between Her Majesty and myself."

"Hmm… why do I know you're plotting again?" His playful eyes contain a hint of seriousness that persuaded her into speaking once more.

"I'm not plotting. I said I have arranged a meeting with Her Majesty. I simply never said that Her Majesty knew that she had a meeting with me."

A raised eyebrow was all she received before the song came to a close. Clapping in appreciation of the musicians, Elsa's eyes flitted to the object of their conversation. The golden dress was hard to miss within the crowd, and the blue suit always remained by her side. In being honest with herself, she would have liked to get the King himself to that meeting. But if the two were spotted, the scandalous implications would haunt her to her dying day.

Despite the friendship between the two nations, she knew that King Adam would not dare help with her own endeavors. At least, not on his own. That was why she needed Queen Belle. With Her Majesty and the incident of her kidnapping, Elsa knew that she could get King Adam to listen.

_And a little business talk never hurt anyone._

Possibilities conflicted with one another as another song began. Getting into position once again, she gracefully danced with Sven. This time, neither of the two spoke. Merely enjoying each other company within the unfamiliar castle, the two danced on and on. Occasionally, they would talk of lighter topics and chuckle at poor Kristoff who was forced to wait in the stables. Otherwise, they would gently guide each other across the polished floor.

Dance after dance sped by unnoticed as the night wore on, and by the fourth dance, Elsa was enjoying herself. Having no need to place a mask with her friend and with his presence keeping away unwanted company, she relaxed. Nevertheless, the weariness of the past few nights and the heat of the enclosed room could no longer be ignored.

At the end of their latest dance, Elsa had to take out her handkerchief once more. And with a glance at Sven's own sweaty brow, she handed the silk over.

"Thank you, oh merciful Elsa. I shall treasure it forever." Sven said with a gallant bow and a mockingly noble voice. Taking the cue, she retorted hauntingly.

"And who said you were keeping my favorite handkerchief?" However, the impish grin on Sven's lips remained intact as he dabbed at his own forehead. As the small jest past between them, their eyes met and a small understanding was met.

It was late in the night, late enough to not be noticed as the two made their way to the exit. She had to step out from the bustling ballroom. The growing weariness from the day was growing still, and Elsa knew that if she remained much longer, her façade would had melted from within.

And as she was led away with Sven at her side, she sent a small prayer to whichever god would listen.

_Be at ease, Madame Armoire. Your beloved family is still with you. …And be at ease, King Gustav. I don't need to see you now. But soon._

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**AN. I know, I know. I'm kind of pushing the confrontation off a bit. But really, the plot calls for it. But really, it will happen. **

**And before any of you ask, no, I will not be typing out French or Norwegian. It's too confusing to shift through three languages, so I'll stick with English.**

**Anyway, surprise. Did anyone guess it was Madame de la Grande Bouche? Remember, the wardrobe opera lady? Honestly, she was one of my favorite characters in the movie, but she doesn't have a canon human form. A quick search through deviantart helped to give me some ideas. **

**And I would especially thank **_**Ellerinda83**_** and **_**Nyxity**_** for their awesome drawing skills and for my inspiration for Madame de la Grande Bouche's human design. **

**As always: comments, concerns, and informed critiques are welcomed. **_**Queen Martha Pond, **_**I did tell you that D'Aez's cousin was a woman. I was stuck between Mrs. Potts, Babette, and Madame de la Grande Bouche. But you saw who I chose. **_**ShadowWofBeast**_**, welcome to Reims, France. Or was because I kind of glossed over the christening of the little prince. But at least, Elsa doesn't need to stay incognito anymore. And **_**Guest, **_**I hope you're ready for a long wait, but I promise that I will work hard as to be worth it. **

**So, until next time Au revoir.**


	21. Attending

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. .gnihton nwo I**

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Chapter 21: Attending

A sharp sway sent two chips of ice to reveal themselves as a pair of pale eyelids fluttered open. The eyes were hazy and unfocused with obvious sleepiness. The exhaustion almost made the eyes flutter close once more if it were not for another sharper sway of the world that made the mind behind the eyes stutter awake.

Before long, awareness and intelligence lent the eyes a steely edge. The energy that sparkled in the eyes seeped into the rest of the body. Awakening bit by bit, the hunched-over body attempted to shift itself in the saddle it found itself in until a pained hiss left a pair of pink lips. An expression of pain twisted pale eyebrows and clenched white teeth as the body creaked in discomfort as it was move by the swaying motions of the mount it was riding upon.

If she were paying closer attention, she would have noticed earlier that the heavy thuds of hooves were faint against the soft grass and a steady warmth seeping into the clothing in contact with dense fur. Nevertheless, Elsa shrugged herself into a more upright position. At least, as much as her aching body could allow, but she was still hunched over somewhat. Taking a moment to gather her surroundings and ensure her isolation, she reached out an arm to stroke a long, furred ear.

Without hesitation, the mount stopped. A slight groan slid past clenched teeth as Elsa fell off the back of her transportation. Never releasing her grip from the steady mount, she managed to save herself from face-planting and struggled to not have her uncooperative legs tangle in her cloak. Low pops resonated from her spine and neck, while sharper snaps sounded off from the flexing of her fingers and toes.

_Sleeping while in the middle of riding: not one of man's best decisions._

As she proceeds to carefully stretch out the kinks her creaking back and whining muscles had, she couldn't help but remember that they were nothing more than old and sweet annoyances. Memories of her years of training flickered to and fro as her body did their regular stretches.

_The strain of the weights used to strengthen my sword arm… _

_The ease in finding my center of balance… _

_Endless walks for endurance… _

_Learning first stance to perfection… _

_Making sure to breathing steadily instead of gasping for air… _

_Finally defeating Sven… _

The sweet thoughts lingered as her muscles were stretched and joints were popped. The actions revitalized her body and cast out the last of her weariness. With a deep breath, she wrapped her arms around her mount's neck and squeezed. The hug was returned with the warmth of a large head settling along her back. Pulling away after a while, Elsa's blue iris's meet Kristoff's brown.

"You should have kept me awake," she scolds halfheartedly. Although she has had practiced sleeping on a mount, she did not expect for the long unused skill to be done now. All she gets in return is a shrug of broad shoulders and a gentle nuzzle to her forehead. To many, it was the cuddle of a beloved pet. To Elsa, the gesture spoke.

"_I don't mind, and you needed your sleep."_

Sometimes, Elsa would even swear that an echo of Kristoff's voice played in her mind to match the words he could no longer say. A deep tone, but soothing and gentle. A completely opposite from the last time she had heard his voice over a decade ago. Either way, her love for the reindeer allowed a peace in her heart despite the circumstances of the situation.

"Fine," she grumbled playfully. "But at least tell me that we're not lost?"

With mirth dancing in his eyes and a wave of his head, Kristoff used his antlers to point forward and slightly upwards. Following the movement, her eyes were locked upon the structure that stood out against the thick forest.

The early morning was more like night with only the slightest hint of dawn being present in the heavens above. Though it made it more difficult to see at a distance, the silhouette came through with the help of the overlooking stars. The overlapping wildness of the trees gave way to a castle's tamed gardens. The somewhat elevated ground made the structure appear larger than normal at first glance. The reaching shadows added to its illusion of great size and a sense of unease.

A slight dryness to her throat was all the anxiety she allowed herself to feel as she realized just how long she had slept for on Kristoff's back to become as close to her destination as she was now. Of course, she trusted Kristoff with her life and beyond, just as she trusted the entirety of her family. She had planned this day countless times over to perfection. She knew that she would escaped from the castle's walls as easily as she could enter it. Nevertheless, practicing and doing were two different creatures.

_Especially when magic plays a part. _

She silently lamented that fact of not having been awoken earlier as to settle her helpful and hurtful psyche. A slight push against her spine had her turning around. Kristoff had nudged her with his antlered head to gain her attention. With a motion of his head and a heavy clop of a foreleg, another question sprang from the silent morning.

"_Are you fine?"_

"Yes," she breathed. "Very much so." And she left her explanation at that. Apparently, she had walked forward as she was distracted by her thoughts and Kristoff brought her out of her mind. It was child's play for him to see that she was not at ease, but Kristoff didn't push. Elsa turned back towards the structure and allowed her eyes to scan the structure.

And as she stood, her mind drew up a memory of the scene before her at noon within a blink. A castle gleamed with the sun's rays reflected upon the marble, stone, and impressive gardens of all shapes and sizes. Statues of carved stone being shaped to cupids and angels, while bushes were neatly snipped into regular animals. A steady stable filled with few equines, one being a brown-coated draft horse. A heavy gate that had been oiled to silence.

With another blink, the memory changes. The sun was much dimmer and the ground was covered in snow. The dim and imposing structure had a garden as dead as the surrounding forest. Stones were chipped and any sort of vegetation was withered away. Statues replicated demons of all kinds as bushes imitated bony claws with their bare branches. The stable was as empty as a grave, while the rusted gate creaked and shuttered under years of negligence.

_Such a change in so little time to both home and man._

For in truth, she was looking at what once was the sole sanctuary of a horrendous beast. A beast that was enchanted years prior along with his home and all who resided inside. Elsa had spent many an hour studying from the rose mirror about the now vacation home of the French monarchs: King Adam and Queen Belle. A home that they now occupied since the celebration for their son had ended days ago. And now, Elsa was ready to accomplish the insane to get her way.

Musing slightly upon the memories of her visions of the very castle she looked upon, she barely paid attention to the passing time or the brightening skies. Just barely, because being late to a meeting with a fellow queen and king was unacceptable for a queen such as herself.

Turning away from the ever-brightening scene, Elsa's hand reflexively ran over her clothing to a specific pocket. Feeling the bump of metal and a silky brush travel against her fingertips was all she needed to bring. The following warmth and tingles that followed afterward was as expected, and with barely a thought, she hopped back into the saddle strapped on Kristoff with a fluidity that screamed practice.

In silence, the two continued on.

Elsa's calmer thoughts retraced steps that she had never taken before. Staying away from the newly paved road to the castle, she kept to the safety of the trees' shadows as they approached the castle. They also ignored the tall iron gate in favor of moving along the tall stone walls with an ease that suggested that they knew that no guard (if any had been on-duty) would find them. After reaching the southern gardens, Elsa and Kristoff kept a closer eye upon the wall itself. The twin pair of intense gazes soon fixed themselves upon a particular section of the stone. Thin vines crossed and twined themselves from the top of the wall to the bottom. However, they were easily too thin to hold any significant weight for long, but Elsa was not looking at them.

Instead, she looked at what they concealed. Dismounting Kristoff and placing her hands on the vine-covered wall, she slowly and systematically search for the indentations she discovered many months before. Years ago, a young Prince Adam would use these imperfections in the wall for escape routes to the nearby forest. Now, they were the entrance for the Queen of Arendelle. And she was more than prepared for the challenge.

The usual silk or lace of a royal's dress was traded for a fitted shirt and pair of pants made of cotton and colored a matching dull-brown. The dainty heels were replaced with thick boots and a dark cloak completed her ensemble. The ensemble was meant to be durable, easy to maneuver in, and light with an exception for the heavier wool of the cloak.

Feeling out the worn handholds etched into the stone, she threw a glance over her cloaked shoulder. As the eyes of earth and ice met, they nodded in unison. A silent agreement to meeting again already sown into their minds. With the lightest of steps, Kristoff's brown coat blended into the molten greens of the forest as he departed. With the lightest of grasps, Elsa began to hoist herself up and eventually over the five meters of solid stone.

While the physical strain of the climbs up and down were mild, perspiration still trickled down her temple. If there was anything to learn from her stay in France, then it would be the fact that the heat always bothered her. Elsa barely even dared to think of the climate in Corona.

A quick search within the many sown-in pockets of the cloak revealed a silk handkerchief. With practiced grace, she swept the cloth and removed the moisture from her face within moments. With a fold and a tuck, the handkerchief was replaced back in the pocket it was retrieved from and secured with a pair of buttons. After the unintended short break, Elsa proceed to stride along the gardens.

Passing by beautifully arranged bouquets, miraculously trimmed hedges, and tranquil fountains, Elsa's dark appearance blended well with the castle's shade. With her vibrantly pale hair being hidden away by a hood, she had no fear of discovery as she strode down the cobbled walkways. Elsa's knowledge of the grounds showed with her quick arrival to a marble table and a pair of stone benches. While the arrangement was a relatively newer addition to the gardens, Elsa recognized them as her destination.

_But I'm early._

Alas, Elsa was alone within the garden. She knew that Queen Belle would enjoy a light breakfast outside as often as possible at the exact spot that Elsa stood next to. The sun was up and the castle would clearly get more active as the sun rose higher. Yet, Queen Belle was not here.

A small worm of doubt crawled deep within her stomach as she began to hide herself among the shrubbery.

_She should have been here by now!_

Rubbing her temples, Elsa forced her breathing to remain steady and calm as she paced within the shadowed greenery. A list of possibilities wrote itself within her mind's eye as Elsa methodically processed any sort of explanation. A glance up revealed the near cloudless expanse of the awakening heavens.

_There was not a cloud in the brightening skies to discourage the Queen from going outside and the duties to her country were usually dealt with after the she had breakfast._

Straining out her ears, the calls of multiple birds to one another, the babbling of running water, and the rustling of wind through the leaves were all that came to her. No abnormal calls or ringing horns were sounded to alert of an intruder.

_There was no chance of me being spotted from earlier. If I had, then there would have been some sort of alarm, so I've not been spotted. _

Digging through her memory once more, Elsa recalled her last interaction with the French Queen. Her reddish brown hair was styled into an elegant bun, yet her long hair curled gently around a slim neck. Bright brown eyes were full of patience, love, and acceptance while her face glowed with the golden dress she was dress in.

_She had been fairly healthy looking from the last time I had seen her. Mayhap some light exhaustion, but that would not require too much bed rest._

But before she could go any lower with the mental checklist, a pair of voices drifted to her hiding spot. Instinctually dropping into a crouch, she slithered along the ground and into thicker cover as the conversation drifted by her and away. Still, Elsa kept her tense silence as the ones talking were remaining in the area. From the higher pitched French spoken between the two speakers, she could safely assume them to be both female. That excluded them from being guards or dangerous to her, but were still able to call for help if they caught sight of her.

But before she could start to formulate any complicated scheme to escape, Elsa recognized the tone of one of the women. It was the same tone that Elsa herself would use with her own family: a deep respect, unending compassion, yet slightly higher in rank. Peering through the thinner foliage, she set her gaze upon the two women. One being a tall, thin girl in comparison to the stout elderly that accompanied her. Immediately, Elsa recognized the taller woman as being the queen she was searching for, while she also guess that the elderly was a maid given at her actions of setting up the table for the solitary breakfast.

_Well, all of that worrying was for nothing._

Even with the sarcastic thought, Elsa let the relieved sigh that has built in her throat out. Allowing her muscles to relax, she proceeded to quietly move closer to the pair. The conversation was about Mrs. Potts's (the name of the older maid) youngest son, named Chip. It was currently about his academic life and how he seemed to flourish under his teacher's guidance.

She spent a few moments to watch the pair. Even from a distance, the kinship between the two was as visible as the rising sun behind them. It barely took any brainpower for Elsa to change the sight from Queen Belle and Mrs. Potts to a sight of herself and Gerda.

_A friend, a teacher, and a mother all rolled into one. _

The similarities between the two monarchies did not past over Elsa's head. As a matter of fact, she was going to use those same similarities to her advantage.

Slowly, she tuned out the noise as the time as arrived.

Although, Elsa had to wait until the older woman had to return to her duties, a bubbling excitement tickled in her veins as she kept her gaze on the young queen. Knowing that this moment and onward, opportunities to fix up the last of her family's mistakes and her country could finally be within reach.

_Now I can get some real progress done._

Elsa's confidence and excitement melted away into a neutrally friendly mask, because she was going to be in her element. She knew what the following conversation would become as she was one of the few that knew the French queen better than herself with the help of the rose mirror. And as the maid retreated to continue her duties, Elsa stood up tall and strode forth with all the grace that her royal blood was worth.

And when she finally came out of cover, she simultaneously removed the hood that revealed her white-blond locks to the gentle sunrise.

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**A.N. It's ALLLLLIIIIIIVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVE! **

…**Hey, Guys and Gals!**

**Yes, I'm back and this story is back. I've been out of my writing groove and ignored this story for too long. I don't have an excuse: I kind of did avoid this story for a while. Good news is that I'm finding my writing groove for all of my stories, so I'm going to be plenty busy with typing up chapters.**

**Also, everyone please send lots of virtual hugs and cookies to **_**WAEGirl **_**as this chapter is here because of her**_**.**_** She kind of gave me the butt-whooping I needed to remind myself to get my lazy self into gear. And I truly hope that she and all of you guys are having a great time enjoying a good read.**

**And as always: comments, concerns, and informed critiques are always welcomed. **_**MicSham, ShadowWolfBeast, and Zobek, **_**it's been a while, but I'm back and I got some good chapters for you guys**_**.**_

**So, until next time, Au revoir.**


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